Michael Taffe @effatma.bsky.social · 22/09/2026But sure. A system of competitive biomedical research grants is the real government waste 🙄 061
Michael Taffe @effatma.bsky.social · 18/09/2026"texas compliant" vape devices? what? perfectvape.com/texas-compli...perfectvape.comPerfect Vape | E-liquid, Nicotine, & ConcentratesBuy E-Liquid, Nicotines, and Concentrates from Perfect Vape & Get them Delivered to Your Location. Cash on Delivery. Terms & Conditions Applied! 000
Reposted by Michael TaffeKris Willis @kawillis.bsky.social · 17/09/2026One might argue that applicants can start writing now, knowing the opportunity is in the forecast. But if the program never materializes, the applicant has spent time chasing a mirage. I don’t think that’s reducing administrative burden or increasing efficiency. 071
Reposted by Michael TaffeAdmirable Women @admirablewomen.bsky.social · 14/09/2026Biochemist Dr. Ida Stephens Owens mapped how human genes control drug metabolism. The first Black woman to earn a PhD from Duke (1967), she spent ~50 years at NIH. She identified the UGT1A gene complex, decoding how enzymes detoxify drugs & harmful toxins. She was born #OTD in 1939.🧵 #WomenInSTEM 4934651036
Reposted by Michael TaffeNate Brought @usfreepressspain.bsky.social · 09/09/2026$1B is enough to pay each of those 30,000 people $33.3K for the next year. Profit for 2025 & 2026 YTD? $559,390,000,000 That pays those 30,000 people $18,646,333 for a year... Or $372,926 per year, EACH for 50 years... Or the entire 2024 NIH budget for 11.5 years... @jeremymberg.bsky.social 14114
Reposted by Michael TaffeMax Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · 04/09/2026What does moving this portfolio mean for science? Biosecurity experts warn that shifting research into the military threatens the transparency and clinical translation that define NIH-funded work. DOD research will likely focus less on the average American and more on soldiers, one employee says. 411828
Reposted by Michael TaffeMax Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · 04/09/2026The effort was pushed by Pentagon official Robert Kadlec, who initially sought $1.9B from NIAID—roughly one-third of the institute’s budget. After internal pushback, talks narrowed to moving up to $700M of projects, potentially scaling up over 10 years. 410028
Reposted by Michael TaffeMark Histed @markhisted.org · 05/09/2026Ok here we go: It DOES look like a major purpose of this NIH funding transfer to NIH is to circumvent NIH’s peer review processes so political appointees can have control. Check out the redacted agreement @maxkozlov.bsky.social released: 1/ 11441245
Reposted by Michael TaffeBryan Roth @zenbrainest.bsky.social · 28/08/2026Btw Shokat was hhmi funded (mainly) but heck give nci credit! 062
Reposted by Michael TaffeLaura @lauraapollo.bsky.social · 26/08/2026"This year's admirals are always last year's pirates, and they insist that what they did to their predecessors was progress, while anyone who tries to do the same thing to them is a thief." 210915
Michael Taffe @effatma.bsky.social · 26/08/2026More of our initial efforts to determine the effects of the nicotine analog 6-MN that has been marketed in a declared effort to evade regulatory oversight, sales restrictions, taxation, etc. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...biorxiv.orgEffects of vapor inhalation of 6-methyl nicotine in female and male ratsBackground: The nicotine analog 6-methyl nicotine (6-MN) has appeared in commercial e-cigarette liquids, and other products, spurring interest in determining the extent to which it conveys similar eff... 100
Michael Taffe @effatma.bsky.social · 25/08/2026always fun to run across confident statements based on chemical theorizing "Luckily..heroin and cocaine in their most common crystal form cannot be used in vaping devices, as the tight crystal structures in heroin and cocaine bind molecules strongly..un-vapable"" www.issup.net/knowledge-sh...issup.netHow Teenage Vaping Puts Structure in Place for Heroin and Cocaine AddictionThe rapid adoption of e-cigarettes has been driven, at least in part, by a huge jump in the potency of e-liquids. 231
Michael Taffe @effatma.bsky.social · 14/08/2026Wow I can’t wait to read all the organoid and human studies that brought us to this potential therapy. 020
Reposted by Michael TaffeJosh Rodefer @rodefer.bsky.social · 14/08/2026modern medicine and <cough> vaccines <cough> 011
Michael Taffe @effatma.bsky.social · 13/08/2026So when “yippy pouches” says “active ingredient” I raise an eyebrow over their non-nicotine assertion. Given the analog strategy and all. www.yippypouches.com/aboutyippypouches.comWhat Is Yippy? | About Yippy PouchesLearn what Yippy Pouches are, who makes them, and why our nicotine-free nootropic pouches are built for calm focus. 100
Reposted by Michael TaffeCatherine Bulka @drcatherineb.bsky.social · 12/08/2026NIH post-council is so funny bc it’s like oh hi it’s been radio silence for almost a year but PLEASE RESPOND TO THIS EMAIL WITHIN 24 HOURS IF YOU WANT YOUR GRANT MONEY 173
Reposted by Michael TaffeRheum Cat @rheumcat.bsky.social · 12/08/2026Holy shit. My NIH K award currently supports a clinical trial. This will no longer be allowed for future K awards. 74327
Reposted by Michael Taffe88.5 WFDD @885wfdd.bsky.social · 13/08/2026The National Institutes of Health has awarded North Carolina A&T State University a nearly $17 million grant supporting research addressing health disparities in central North Carolina. #WFDD #HealthEquity #PublicHealthwfdd.orgA $17M NIH award boosts health disparities research at N.C. A&TThe National Institutes of Health grant will support community health education, early detection and prevention of diseases like Alzheimer's, hypertension and diabetes. 032
Reposted by Michael TaffeProf Gavin Yamey MD MPH @gavinyamey.bsky.social · 13/08/2026The gaslighting from Dr Bhattacharya is wild There’s *documented evidence* of banned words under his tenure We spent wasted months going back & forth with our NIH program officer taking out banned words (“racial disparities”) He wrote an OpEd congratulating himself for “curing the NIH of DEI” 🤯 12711
Reposted by Michael TaffeAlt-NIHscience4ALL @alt-nihscience4all.altgov.info · 13/08/2026Somehow, NIH still cares about harassment taking place in labs funded by NIH grants. grants.nih.gov/grants/guide...grants.nih.govNOT-OD-26-097: Recent Updates: Supporting a Safe and Respectful Workplace at Institutions that Receive NIH FundingNIH Funding Opportunities and Notices in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts: Recent Updates: Supporting a Safe and Respectful Workplace at Institutions that Receive NIH Funding NOT-OD-26-097. NIH 0143
Reposted by Michael TaffeLizzy Stone @lizzy-stone.bsky.social · 13/08/2026My university seems to mostly be plugging its metaphorical ears while saying “LALALA” and trying to get us all to go after DOD grants instead of NIH ones. 031
Reposted by Michael Taffeelizabethginexi.bsky.social @elizabethginexi.bsky.social · 13/08/2026This is publicly available data on grants.gov. Anyone who can work with excel spreadsheets can do what I am doing. I am focused on NIH because I know it well and can understand the data 100%.grants.govHome | Grants.gov 031
Reposted by Michael Taffeelizabethginexi.bsky.social @elizabethginexi.bsky.social · 12/08/2026I'm tracking 289 NIH funding opportunities stuck in the queue, 186 already overdue. $229M in set-aside money is tied to fiscal years closing within weeks. Plus what I'm hearing about a new OMB hold on all NOFO publication. formernih.substack.com/p/the-nih-fo...formernih.substack.comThe NIH Forecast Graveyard, RevisitedAn Update on NIH's Stalled Funding Pipeline, as the Fiscal Year Runs Out 35032
Reposted by Michael TaffeGregg Gonsalves @gregggonsalves.bsky.social · 13/08/2026This week, @maxkozlov.bsky.social wrote a piece on how the NIH is limiting funding on the health effects of public policies. What is striking is that the current NIH director's career was all about the health effects of policies, social & economic conditions. scholar.google.com/citations?hl... 1015467
Reposted by Michael TaffeDana 🌈🔬🪱 @millerlab.bsky.social · 13/08/2026We need something like this in WA!!!!!! 011
Reposted by Michael TaffeKate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 12/08/2026Attention: dream job alert!! 🚨 This is *my* home department, which I unabashedly love! We're a super collegial group (that really protects & supports junior faculty 💪) and Davis is a great place to live. Happy to chat more about what it's like to be a faculty here 03432
Reposted by Michael TaffeAaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 12/08/2026David Crowley: "I especially want to thank Rep. Francesca Hong. Her campaign reminded people across Wisconsin that there are no long shots when it comes to believing in a better future and fighting to expand opportunities to every family ... the real opponent has always been Tom Tiffany." 613414555
Reposted by Michael TaffeNeedhi Bhalla 💅🏽 @needhibhalla.bsky.social · 11/08/2026There was a very similar experiment a few years ago but I can't remember the details; I *think* people could upload their unfunded grants for philanthropic consideration but never heard about any grants being funded 011
Michael Taffe @effatma.bsky.social · 12/08/2026Combustible non-tobacco nicotine analog cigarettes tlneuro.wordpress.com/2026/08/11/c...tlneuro.wordpress.comCombustible non-tobacco nicotine analog cigarettesSeidenberg and colleagues have published an “Industry Watch” piece in Tobacco Control which alerts us to the latest industry ploy to addict more people to nicotine and related analog co… 011
Reposted by Michael TaffeNeedhi Bhalla 💅🏽 @needhibhalla.bsky.social · 11/08/2026"Removing policy-focused projects from the agency’s portfolio ignores the reality that policies and social factors fundamentally shape human health, some scientists say." 12115
Michael Taffe @effatma.bsky.social · 11/08/2026I’m going to suggest that nobody wants to fund what they would see as the leavings of the NIH. Hell, NIH itself (mostly) refuses to fund its own leavings, and relies on the charade of New and Improved associated with the revise/resubmit cycle. 100
Reposted by Michael TaffeNeedhi Bhalla 💅🏽 @needhibhalla.bsky.social · 11/08/2026"This would not require the federal government to lower its standards in peer review, nor change what it chooses to fund. We should simply stop discarding the output of the largest and broadest scientific evaluation system ever built." www.macroscience.org/p/america-al...macroscience.orgAmerica Already Built the World's Largest Science-Vetting MachineWe barely use it. 1106
Michael Taffe @effatma.bsky.social · 10/08/2026If interested ask some very firm questions about startup and other support given….waves hands wildly 120
Michael Taffe @effatma.bsky.social · 05/08/2026This is how political interference works. www.politico.com/news/2026/08... 0269
Reposted by Michael TaffeJenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 04/08/2026RFK jr overrode the NIH recommendation for NIAID Director to appoint his own preferred candidate (who applied, but NIH declined to interview), per @politico.com. Institute directors have final say on funding decisions and are critical to the integrity of NIH. 🧵 www.politico.com/news/2026/08...politico.comA lab-leak proponent is in line for Fauci’s old jobSteven Quay is in final vetting to run the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. 39566
Michael Taffe @effatma.bsky.social · 05/08/2026here we go with the fake cig products. combustible non-tobacco materials to which 6-methyl nicotine has been applied. The authors of the paper point to legal documents on the company website for verification their "novara" is 6-MN. www.signaturebrandsusa.com/compliancesignaturebrandsusa.comChoiceIntroducing Choice™ – The Smarter Alternative to Smoking 100
Reposted by Michael TaffeGravel Influencer @gravelinfluencer.bsky.social · 20/07/2026This video of a woman telling an anti-abortion asshole to, "Shut the fuck up" is exactly what I needed to see on a Monday morning 19195844343
Michael Taffe @effatma.bsky.social · 16/07/2026This Yenor guy needs to watch more #USWNT play soccer and the women’s hockey team beat the brakes offa Canada. 010
Michael Taffe @effatma.bsky.social · 14/07/2026As a survivor of New Hampshire’s legendary direct democracy known as Town Meeting….this tracks SO hard. www.regulations.gov/comment/OMB-...regulations.govRegulations.gov 100
Michael Taffe @effatma.bsky.social · 13/07/2026I would expect nothing less from the nepobaby party. 010
Michael Taffe @effatma.bsky.social · 09/07/2026New work from the Nguyen lab on the modulation of perineuronal nets caused by repeated fentanyl. www.frontiersin.org/journals/neu...frontiersin.orgFrontiers | Changes in perineuronal net and parvalbumin expression in the orbitofrontal cortex of male Wistar rats following repeated fentanyl administrationThe misuse of opioid medications is a significant health issue in the United States. Very few studies have investigated the effect of opioids on perineuronal... 031
Reposted by Michael TaffeDr. Sven-Eric Jordt #TobRegSky @sejordt.bsky.social · 05/07/2026@fda.gov @atscommunity.bsky.social #TobRegSky #PedSky #MedSky #Pulmsky #EpiSky #addictionsci #policysky #polisky #neuroskyence 🛟 🫁💊🧪 🌍⚖️ @natmed.nature.com : "Compared with complete quitters, e-cigarette use after smoking cessation was associated with higher risks of lung cancer incidence"nature.comElectronic cigarette use after smoking cessation and lung cancer risk - Nature MedicineA nationwide retrospective analysis of 4.5 million Korean adults found that electronic cigarette use after smoking cessation was associated with higher lung cancer incidence and mortality compared wit... 3106
Reposted by Michael TaffeRich Raho @richraho.bsky.social · 02/07/2026Pirro on the 350ft slit in Reflecting Pool: “We’re trying to find out who did it.” 58218
Reposted by Michael TaffeScott McGrath @smcgrath.phd · 30/06/2026A 43-day government shutdown and staff shortages have left the NIH rushing to spend its $47.2B budget before the September 30 deadline. The real squeeze for academic labs is a mandate to fund multiyear grants up front, meaning thousands fewer new awards and painfully low success rates. #AcademicSkyscience.orgNIH likely to award fewer grants as it races to spend 2026 budgetGovernment shutdown, staff shortages have complicated effort to meet 30 September deadline to spend funds 164
