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Dan Vergano

@danvergano.bsky.social
5.1K followers 1.4K following 1.8K posts

Get AIP FYI Science Policy newsletter: www.aip.org/newsletters Director Science Policy News, Editorial at AIP Washington, D.C. Opinions my own. Reposts are not endorsements. Signal: Delta.357 www.linkedin.com/in/dan-vergano-939…

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Reposted by Dan Vergano
Michael D. Green, PhD @michaeldgreen.phd · 7h
I appeared alongside the CEO of @aaas.org on the WSITY podcast, where we spoke about the future of science. Politics currently undermine that future in ways that many will not immediately see, but the long-term results will be devastating if we don’t change course and demand more.
Maggie Bartlett -- WSITY
Brinda Adhikari -- WSITY
Tom W. Johnson -- WSITY
NURE
Dr. Mark Abdelmalek -- WSITY
Michael D. Green (He/Him)
Sudio ParikhiSpecial Ep: Who Gets to Decide What Science Gets Funded? Inside the Fight Over NIH: A Conversation w Sudip Parikh & Michael Green
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Nicole Bedera @nbedera.bsky.social · 8h
Earlier this week, I agreed to interviews with two USA Today journalists. They wrote fantastic articles about the Cornell case that I'm proud to have been a part of. What I did not know is that their employer considers interviews to proprietary and opens up recordings to be used by any journalist.
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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 10h
Oh retractionwatch.com/2026/10/02/p...
David Ho, a climate scientist at the University of Hawaii, responded to our request for comment on the paper by saying he was not interested in reading it. “I’m sorry, but I’d rather keep my brain cells,” he said.
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Alicia Ault @aliciaault.bsky.social · 10h
CDC reporting a big increase in cases of a rare fungal disease that primarily attacks the brain and has a 60-70% fatality rate. Increase likely not due to a rise in referrals or detection, per this MMWR paper. #IDSky #EpiSky #NeuroSky #fungusamongus
cdc.gov
Cladophialophora bantiana Detections
This report describes 48 confirmed cases and one probable case of C. bantiana in clinical samples from 2009–2026.
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Liz Szabo @lizszabo.bsky.social · 10h
Measles doesn't stop harming people when the rash goes away. Measles can damage the immune system, causing "immune amnesia" for up to five years. Measles outbreaks this year and last could leave thousands vulnerable to other infectious diseases. www.cidrap.umn.edu/measles-outb...
cidrap.umn.edu
Measles outbreaks could leave thousands vulnerable to infectious diseases for years
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Reposted by Dan Vergano
ProPublica @propublica.org · 16h
NEW: We’re reporters, not teachers. We have no business running a private school. But to show you just how easy it is to start one, we decided to test the process ourselves.
propublica.org
Almost Anyone Can Start a Private School. We Put This to the Test.
Our reporting has shown how easily people — some with questionable backgrounds — have founded their own private schools in barns, strip malls and other places. That led us to an experiment: If the hur...
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John Gramlich @johngramlich.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Big day here at @pewresearch.org as we've moved from sentence case headlines to Title Case Headlines for the majority of our public releases. Many of the editors among us Feel Strongly about this issue.
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Reposted by Dan Vergano
Katharine Hayhoe @katharinehayhoe.com · 01/10/2026
Imagine a room full of brilliant jazz musicians, all playing solos, none of them listening to each other. That's climate communication right now--and we have the data to prove it. Join @fisherdanar.bsky.social, @bernwoodsplacky.bsky.social & I on our @tccollab.bsky.social webinar today, 3pm ET!
us06web.zoom.us
Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: Who’s Really Talking About Climate Change?. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.
Climate concern is everywhere. Climate conversations are almost nowhere. That’s why the Talking Climate Collaborative is bringing together new research and practical action. Join us to explore findin...
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Dan Vergano @danvergano.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
FYI Science Policy News: Direct-to-Device Proposal to Disrupt Radio Astronomy www.aip.org/fyi/direct-t... Radio telescopes are losing important data as the government and companies look to increase Earth-to-space communications.
aip.org
Direct-to-Device Proposal to Disrupt Radio Astronomy
Radio telescopes are losing important data as the government and companies look to increase Earth-to-space communications.
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Dan Vergano @danvergano.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Are humans cathemeral? The diurnal activity model of Homo sapiens challenged www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... "Social Sleep Theory to explain this pattern: through sociotechnological niche construction—group vigilance, fire, and shelter—humans evolved short, flexible, and high-quality sleep"
Figure 1. Actigraphic 24-hour activity patterns in Eulemur mongoz, Hylobates spp., and Hadza foragers (Homo sapiens). (a) Actigrams illustrate representative diel activity patterns across taxa. Eulemur mongoz shows activity distributed across both daylight and night-time portions of the 24-hour cycle, whereas Hylobates spp. shows a pronounced reduction in activity after daylight hours. The Hadza (Homo sapiens) example shows activity extending into the post-sunset period, consistent with flexible evening activity. Twilight is not analyzed as a separate activity category in this figure; the actigrams are intended as visual summaries of 24-hour activity timing rather than as a separate twilight-specific analysis. (b) Functional linear model summary of diel activity patterns for Eulemur, Hylobates, and Hadza across the 24-hour period.
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Alicia Ault @aliciaault.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
A fifth person has died from measles in Pennsylvania. #IDsky #EpiSky #pediatrics #MMR #vaccines
nbcnews.com
Pennsylvania reports 5th measles-related death in the state
The state’s outbreak is the largest in the U.S.
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Dan Vergano @danvergano.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Republicans' trust in media makes sharp comeback www.axios.com/2026/09/29/a... --> huh. gosh. almost as if 'trust in the media' is a meaningless survey question. real head-scratcher here
axios.com
Republicans' trust in media makes sharp comeback
Around one-third of Americans say they have a great deal or a fair amount of trust in mass media, according to a new Gallup survey.
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Reposted by Dan Vergano
Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
New survey from the Annenberg Center is out. Less than a quarter of Americans (23%) have a favorable view of RFK Jr. Meanwhile 42% of us have a “very unfavorable” view of him, and many people (40%) are confused about whether he recommends the MMR vaccine. Horrifying stats for an HHS Secretary.
annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org
About 1 in 3 Americans Say RFK Jr. Recommends Measles Vaccine | The Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania
1 in 3 U.S. adults say HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recommends vaccinating children against measles - as many as those who say he does not recommend it.
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Dr. Jessie Christiansen @aussiastronomer.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
On point B, the NASA Exoplanet Archive typically serves ~10-20TB of data per month. In July it jumped to 70TB. In August it jumped to 600TB. So either our user base organically grew *30x* in two months (... unlikely), OR the bots have taken over already.
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Dan Vergano @danvergano.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
U.S. Supreme Court Begins Term With Historically Low Ratings 34% approve of the court's job performance; 46% trust the judicial branch of federal government news.gallup.com/poll/715022/...
news.gallup.com
U.S. Supreme Court Begins Term With Historically Low Ratings
Americans' trust in the judicial branch of the federal government and their job approval of the U.S. Supreme Court are at or near historical lows.
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Hensley Lab @scottehensley.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
This is a really important development. It appears H1N1 cases are rising in the western part of the United States, and these viruses have a key HA substitution that @jbloomlab.bsky.social recently demonstrated is targeted by antibodies in young people. 1/4 www.kuow.org/health/2026-...
kuow.org
The flu has arrived early in Washington state
Flu cases are surging in Washington state, much sooner than when health officials usually expect the illness to peak in winter.
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Dwayne Day @kennen11.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
There is a bit of a story to how we obtained this 1961 report on nuclear weapons in space (and another from 1963 that we will write about later). The existence of these nukes in space studies has been known for decades, but almost all of them are classified. I FOIA'd several of them a decade ago.
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Sarah Karlin-Smith @sarahkarlin-smith.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
So much for MAHA plans to tackle chronic disease eh.. "Task force members were also prevented from voting on a recommendation for preventing cardiovascular disease through healthy lifestyle interventions because of cancelled meetings, he noted." www.medpagetoday.com/washington-w...
medpagetoday.com
Trump Administration Suppressed USPSTF Recommendations, Past Chair Says
Group's recommendations on cervical cancer screening, cardiovascular prevention were blocked
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Cheryl Rofer @cherylrofer.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
These are the guys who built their test reactor in a tent.
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Dan Vergano @danvergano.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
National Press Club Journalism Institute - Public Health Journalism: Data and sourcing in public health reporting us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi... 10/20 - 11 am EDT
us02web.zoom.us
Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Public Health Journalism: Data and sourcing in public health reporting . After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.
As federal data becomes harder to access — whether through resource constraints, shifting priorities, or outright disappearance — the challenge for journalists isn’t just analysis, it’s access. Join...
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Eos @eos.org · 29/09/2026
NASA has ignored recommended funding levels for planetary research & analysis for 15 years, according to a new investigative report by Mark Sykes (@coop.planetary-research.org). And for FY2025, it hasn’t even spent 50% of what it budgeted for R&A. 🧪🪐🔭 eos.org/research-and...
eos.org
NASA has Underspent on Research and Analysis for 15 Years - Eos
Spending for NASA’s research and analysis programs has remained relatively flat for 15 years, ignoring recommendations from community-led decadal surveys and directives by Congress.
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Reposted by Dan Vergano
Jonathan Bernstein @jonathanbernstein.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
People really want the story of Trump's second term to include a lack of grass-roots protests (outside of the handful of No Kings events) and it's just not true. Listen to @chenoweth.bsky.social, folks.
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Dorit Reiss @doritreiss.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
"For years, Kennedy has accused federal health agencies of being captured by corporations they are tasked with regulating. That same charge is now being aimed at the health secretary by his disillusioned supporters." www.ms.now/news/maha-su... via @brandyzadrozny.bsky.social @msnownews.bsky.social
ms.now
At MAHA Summit, RFK Jr.’s base asks if its champion is selling out
The second annual conference features Trump officials, tech titans, corporate sponsors and fading celebrities — but very little MAHA.
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Dan Vergano @danvergano.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
FYI Science Policy News -- DOE Floats Nuclear Waste Consolidation Plan Amid Staffing, Oversight Concerns www.aip.org/fyi/doe-floa...
aip.org
DOE Floats Nuclear Waste Consolidation Plan Amid Staffing, Oversight Concerns
The agency seeks flexibility from Congress to form new disposal arrangements with states.
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Sheryl Gay Stolberg @sherylnyt.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
BIG MAHA SUMMIT today at Waldorf-Astoria. Vance and RFK Jr. will speak. I was denied a press credential due to. “limited space. “Here I am getting turned away. I’m 5 feet tall. I don’t take up that much space.
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Dan Vergano @danvergano.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
"About 1 in 3 Americans Say RFK Jr. Recommends Measles Vaccine" www.annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org/about-1-in-3... via @appc.upenn.edu A majority (68%) of respondents say that it is false to state that “vaccines given to children for diseases like measles, mumps, and rubella cause autism,”...
annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org
About 1 in 3 Americans Say RFK Jr. Recommends Measles Vaccine | The Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania
1 in 3 U.S. adults say HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recommends vaccinating children against measles - as many as those who say he does not recommend it.
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Dana R. Fisher (aka the Apocalyptic Optimist) @fisherdanar.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Documenting the attacks on climate researchers as litigation against fossil fuel companies gets underway: This “wave of requests constitutes a larger and more targeted campaign against researchers whose work could be used by lawyers to advance climate lawsuits.” www.politico.com/news/2026/09...
politico.com
Inside the anti-climate campaign against researchers
A POLITICO investigation reveals more than 100 open records requests demanding documents from climate scientists nationwide.
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Russell Brand, who's awaiting trial in London next month on rape and sexual assault charges, will moderate a panel at DC's MAHA summit tomorrow on reforming a U.S. health agency
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CIDRAP @cidrap.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
CDC confirms multistate outbreak of E coli linked to raw milk cheese Over half the patients are young children, and California and Nevada have the most cases. Read more: bit.ly/3TdVtih
cheese wedge
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Sar Crespi @boron110.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I love a crossover hit -- Ancient Rome plus volcanology @science.org #ScienceAdvanvces www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
science.org
Pliny the Younger advances geochronology
The eruption of Vesuvius volcano witnessed by Pliny the Younger in 79 CE is dated by the argon-40/argon-39 (40Ar/39Ar) method to 1938 ± 13 years (SD) before measurement in 2025 CE. Achievement of 0.7%...
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The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine @nationalacademies.org · 28/09/2026
The presidents of the U.S. National Academies condemn the strike on the home of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and reaffirm our commitment to supporting our Ukrainian colleagues and research community. Read the full statement: ow.ly/Ff7P50ZSqwf
ow.ly
U.S. National Academies Presidents Comment on Attack on the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine
In a statement on the recent attack of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the presidents of the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine underscored their support for their colleagues at the Ukrainian academy. “We know that the Ukrainian research community is strong, and we will continue to stand by them.” (Photo: REUTERS/Thomas Peter)
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Paul Voosen @voosen.me · 28/09/2026
New Horizons is now *three days away* from shutting off its two heliophysics instruments, simply because NASA has not provided the $2M in funding it had promised to the mission last year or this year. There is no science basis for shutting these off. Our earlier coverage:
science.org
NASA’s New Horizons mission may shut down two instruments over lack of funding
Decision risks “incalculable loss” of data from the edge of the Sun’s influence, scientists say
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Ars Technica @arstechnica.com · 28/09/2026
arstechnica.com
The large robotic arm on the International Space Station has stopped working
NASA isn't saying much. The problem may be temporary.
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Jennifer Ouellette @jenlucpiquant.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
The Little Albert Experiment: The Perverse 1920 Study That Made a Baby Afraid of Santa Claus & Bunnies www.openculture.com/2026/09/the-...
openculture.com
The Little Albert Experiment: The Perverse 1920 Study That Made a Baby Afraid of Santa Claus & Bunnies
The field of psychology is very different than it used to be. Nowadays, the American Psychological Association has a code of conduct for experiments that ensures a subject’s confidentiality, consent,a...
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Liz Szabo @lizszabo.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Fewer women being vaccinated against whooping cough during pregnancy . www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
sciencedirect.com
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public health guy @publichealthguy1.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
yeah, i’m moving my flu shot up to this week
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Gene J. Mikulka @genejm1017.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
The mission seems to be accomplished in that the main objective of achieving orbit. They still need to bring Starship back through the atmosphere from orbit. The Raptor engine failures, however, still indicate issues and that Raptor needs work.
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Princess Vimentin PhD | Cancer Biologist @princess-vimentin.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Learning how the NIH funds biomedical research at universities should be part of graduate school curriculum. In the past two years, I have learned more about this mechanism than in my entire life. You don’t realize how many moving parts are involved until someone actively tries to kill them. 🧪
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Lee Billings @leebillings.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
We're on the edge of our seats. One of Starship's 6 Raptor engines prematurely shutdown during its ascent to space, and the SpaceX team declared on the livestream the push to orbit was a no-go. But now they're reappraising that decision... Standby.
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The Xylom @thexylom.com · 28/09/2026
BREAKING: Ukrinform, the state news agency of Ukraine, reports that a Russian drone has struck the National Academy of Sciences in central Kyiv, causing a fire. Last month, we reported on a visit to one of the research groups housed within the complex, which studies fungi across the country.
thexylom.com
Ukrainian Mycologists Are Not Giving Up
As the Russo-Ukrainian war continues, Ukrainian mushroom scientists struggle in their quotidian work.
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Maddie Stone @themadstone.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
A very timely and important new paper: “How decades of corporate capture enabled today's assault on universities in the United States” www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
sciencedirect.com
How decades of corporate capture enabled today's assault on universities in the United States
Universities in the US have never been free of corporate, military, or political influence. But over the past fifty years, corporate libertarian donor…
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Carl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com · 27/09/2026
Four days ago, a scientist was surprised by the news that Anthropic discovered new virus genes for making DNA. He says he’s been studying them for years—and feeding his data to Anthropic’s AI as part of his own research. Coincidence? Here’s my story. nyti.ms/3VSWayc
nyti.ms
Did Anthropic’s A.I. Really Make a Scientific Discovery on Its Own? (Gift Article)
An expert at the University of Copenhagen said his team had been sharing its research with the company’s A.I. model, Claude, and that its new finding matched their work.
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Dorit Reiss @doritreiss.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Children’s Health Defense ‘Expert’ Who Blamed Measles Deaths on Medical Malpractice May have Caused Patient Death - and used a liability shield he criticized to avoid litigation www.importantcontext.news/childrens-he... via @walkerbragman.bsky.social
importantcontext.news
Children’s Health Defense ‘Expert’ Who Blamed Measles Deaths on Medical Malpractice Found to Have Caused Patient Death
A federal appeals court granted Dr. Pierre Kory immunity under a law anti-vaxxers have railed against.
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Ian @ianlivingston.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
An interesting looking nor'easter... dressed up like a tropical system.
A rather circular nor'easter with an eye-like clearing at its center.
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Dan Vergano @danvergano.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
"So much for free speech."
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Bob Kopp @bobkopp.net · 26/09/2026
The literature about changes in nor’easters due to climate change is clear about two things: 1) more intense precipitation due to a warmer atmosphere, and 2) more extensive coastal flooding due to higher sea levels
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Apoorva Mandavilli @apoorvanyt.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
I’ve been reporting on the CDC for years, and have written about many of its troubles over the past year. I was still shocked by the extent of the staff losses and political interference I found when reporting this one. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/26/h...
nytimes.com
‘Zombified’ C.D.C., Hobbled by Cuts, Struggles to Fulfill Scientific Mission (Gift Article)
The agency has lost its independence and nearly a third of its staff, as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and associates have tightened control.
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Greg Folkers @gregfolkers.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
STAT: I worked on the CDC investigation of the anthrax letters. 25 years later, are we ready for the next biothreat? By Daniel Jernigan @statnews.com bit.ly/4z58oCp
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CIDRAP @cidrap.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Public health advocates express concern about nominee to lead the FDA Some public health advocates sound the alarm about Heidi Overton, President Trump’s nominee for FDA commissioner, after her confirmation hearing. Read more: bit.ly/3VQkLni 📷: The White House
President Donald Trump signs an executive order in the Oval Office.
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Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
SCOOP: Top researchers at Columbia, Stanford, and others thought they were elected to elite scientific societies alongside Nobel laureates. The catch? The organizations are a sham. I spent the last month diving deep into a massive academic scam spanning continents, for @nature.com
nature.com
Exclusive: Sham scientific societies are misleading star researchers
A Nature investigation reveals a network of organizations that have been building their ranks through deceptive practices.
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