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Giono B.

@gionob.bsky.social
652 followers 2.2K following 11 posts

I’m here for the news. And cats.

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Reposted by Giono B.
Mark Jacob @markjacob.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
Gavin Newsom was married to Kimberly Guilfoyle for more than 4 years. Just sayin'.
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Liz Neeley @lizneeley.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
Public comment is open until Nov 9 (www.regulations.gov/commenton/IC...) on the proposed rule to charge universities up to $100,000 per international student in post-graduation Optional Practical Training ($70k initial fee + $30k for 2 year renewal for STEM trainees) www.science.org/content/arti...
science.org
Trump administration proposes $100,000 fee for work authorization for international students
The new rule would require schools to pay a large sum before a student can apply for a program called optional practical training
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Leah McElrath @leahmcelrath.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
Excellent thread (scroll up and down) I’ll just emphasize that many in the AI industry see the technology as a successor to human labor entirely—that’s literally the goal—AND the technology itself presents inherent risks that pose a danger to humans as well.
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Mark Peifer (He, him) @peiferlabunc.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Please find 5 minutes today to draft your response to this drastic change in NIH Peer review. The deadline is October 13. I pasted my own response below as an example--please share widely 🧪
I am an NIH-funded scientist who has run a lab for 34 years.  I have served on literally dozens of NIH peer-review study sections, most recently this past June.  I also have served in Council for both NIGMS and for CSR.  I thus am very familiar with the current review process from both the prospective of an applicant and a reviewer.  I strongly oppose the proposed changes.  While NIH peer review is not perfect, it is the best system thus far devised, and is the envy of colleagues in other countries. Three experts in the field spend hours reviewing each proposal, using their knowledge of important issues to rank proposals by signficance, feasibility and impact.  Then they present their opinions to a panel of 20 or more expert sin the broader field, and a spirited discussion ensues.  Thus each proposal is put through  very stringent process, and the resulting ranking has substantial value in times when funding is limited.  Having review many times, I know that the proposed binning would provide equal "scores" to proposals that were greet with substanailly different degrees of enthusiasm.  Further, grants binned just bowl and just above the 25% cutoff would be subsequently viewed as if the enthusiasm for them quite divergent, certainly not an accurate summary.  The current fine-grained system avoids these issues.  Removing it will  make the task of NIH Program officers more difficult.   Binning also allows non-scientific issues to take on disproportionate weight in funding, an issue that will be accentuated if political appointees are making the ultimate decisions.  Please retain the current system.
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Joshua Weitz @joshuasweitz.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
Comments due tomorrow (Oct. 13) on a proposed change to NIH procedures that would conceal expert reviewer scores on grant proposals from program officers & PIs and reduce the effectiveness of peer review, part of a larger project to sideline experts and politicize federal funding decisions. 👇
rfi.grants.nih.gov
Request For Information
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Coalition for Life Sciences @c4lifesciences.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
In all seriousness, the NIH is proposing to change how research grants get reviewed and thus how funding gets distributed. The scientific community deserves to have their voice heard and this is your chance. Comment here: grants.nih.gov/grants/guide...
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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
Please comment on "Request for Information (RFI) on Proposed Changes to Reporting Outcomes from NIH Peer Review" by Tuesday (October 13th, 2026). rfi.grants.nih.gov?s=6a2b1c22c3... Here is my comment: 1/6
rfi.grants.nih.gov
Request For Information
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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
22 California billionaires have spent a combined $150 million so far to defeat Prop 40. By spending their fortunes trying to stop California from taxing billionaires, they're making the argument for a billionaire wealth tax more clearly and articulately than anyone else possibly could.
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Dare Obasanjo @carnage4life.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
“This recent dump of papers on Tuesday destroyed the careers of early-career mathematicians. We've had whole research programs wiped out on Tuesday by their dump … they have all the mathematicians research programs in their training data” - Tristan Buckmaster on OpenAI solving unsolved math problems
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Lauren Ashley Davis @laurenmeidasa.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
Election officials in Colorado and Washington state have issued public warnings about inaccurate information from the group tied to Musk, the billionaire who is spending heavily to sway the midterm elections in Republicans’ favor. www.cnn.com/2026/10/10/p...
cnn.com
Elon Musk’s PAC is spreading inaccurate voting information, election officials say | CNN Politics
Election officials in Colorado and Washington state have issued public warnings about inaccurate information from the group tied to Musk.
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Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
FDA may allow some toxic chemicals to be added to food without safety review. Experts are alarmed www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
FDA may allow some toxic chemicals to be added to food without safety review. Experts are alarmed
Regulator looks to expand loophole to allow dangerous compounds in food as long as they’re not carcinogenic
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Mark Peifer (He, him) @peiferlabunc.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
If you are an NIH funded scientist and have not commented, you are agreeing that this change is a good idea. If, you, like me, think ditching peer review is a bad idea, take the 5 minutes and post a comment.
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More Perfect Union @moreperfectunion.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
In her statement on the ICE shooting in New York, AOC specifically calls out Target. The congresswoman demands that the mega-corporation stop allowing ICE to stage paramilitary raids from its parking lots. migrantinsider.com/p/aoc-to-tar...
migrantinsider.com
AOC to Target: Stop Lending Your Bronx Parking Lots to ICE
After federal agents fired into a car with a 5-year-old in the back seat, Ocasio-Cortez names the retailer that lawmakers say gave ICE a place to wait.
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Mara Gay @maragay.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
This sweet, gentle Brooklyn boy needs a new home. Lili is about 8 years old, and far as anyone can tell is a friend to all. Please reply or dm me if you have a lead.
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Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
ICE over the past year investigated hundreds of nonprofits across the U.S. that help people register to vote. The internal documents, obtained by the Democracy Forward, showed that ICE's investigative arm also contemplated sending undercover agents to investigate the organizations.
democracydocket.com
ICE  probed hundreds of voter registration groups across the U.S.
The agency also contemplated deploying undercover agents to "initiate prosecutions" against the groups and "dismantle" them.
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David DeWitt @daviddewitt.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
In an attack ad against U.S. Senate candidate Sherrod Brown, a woman accuses the Democrat of pushing transgender surgeries on minors "like her." As it turns out, she isn't from Ohio and didn't have surgery until she was an adult ohiocapitaljournal.com/2026/10/06/w...
ohiocapitaljournal.com
Woman accusing Sherrod Brown of forcing trans surgeries not Ohioan, didn’t have procedure as minor • Ohio Capital Journal
In an attack ad against U.S. Senate candidate Sherrod Brown, a woman accuses the Democrat of pushing transgender surgeries on minors "like her." As it turns out, she isn't from Ohio and didn't have…
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#TeslaTakedown @teslatakedown.com · 07/10/2026
In the last 24 hours, Elon added $5,423,645.66. New totals include: $13,131,789.48 vs @jamestalarico.bsky.social $6,308,848.86 vs @sherrodbrownoh.bsky.social $5,117,111.82 vs @abdulelsayed.bsky.social $1,991,872.98 vs @joshturek4iowa.bsky.social $1,176,301.42 vs @troyjackson207.bsky.social
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The Cassandra Files (I told you so) @triedtowarnyou.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Any senior who votes for Mike Rogers instead of Abdul El Sayed is voting away their own Social Security. El Sayed is behind with Seniors. I don't get it. WTH is wrong with these people? www.aarp.org/government-e...
aarp.org
AARP Michigan Poll: Rogers, El-Sayed Nearly Tied
Social Security, affordability concerns weigh on voters 50-plus
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Michael Mechanic @michaelmechanic.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
A Cayman Islands source gave Blum incriminating intel on 20 ultrarich Americans defrauding the US Treasury. He took it to the IRS in Miami, where a special agent looked over the documents and told him to get lost. Blum had expected gratitude. “This whole thing is a career killer,” the agent said.
motherjones.com
Oligarchs are robbing America blind, and the IRS is powerless to stop them
The Wealth Defense Industry and its politicians have seen to that.
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Ken Schwencke @schwanksta.com · 06/10/2026
A year ago, @propublica.org told you immigration agents had detained more than 170 U.S. citizens. We’ve updated our count, and we’ve got all the receipts. The tally: At least 506 citizens detained. Sometimes held at gunpoint, handcuffed, or even deported. projects.propublica.org/american-cit...
projects.propublica.org
More Than 500 U.S. Citizens Have Been Detained, Including Handcuffed or Held at Gunpoint, in Trump’s Immigration Crackdown — ProPublica
The government doesn’t track how often immigration officers detain U.S. citizens. So ProPublica did. We’ve found more than 500 Americans who were held against their will during this Trump administrati...
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Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
If you're in these states, *TODAY* is deadline to register to vote. Arizona, Arkansas Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas. Even if you think you've registered: doesn't hurt to check! And there's a lot happening across them. A thread with stakes on each. ⬇️
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Nobel Prize @nobelprize.org · 05/10/2026
BREAKING NEWS The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel “for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics.”
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Gail Simone @gailsimone.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
You guys want to hear a short but adorable story that happened right in front of me at the baggage claim in NYC yesterday? I wasn't part of it and there are bits I didn't catch but holy crap, I can't stop thinking about it.
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Ned Resnikoff @resnikoff.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Of note, one of this year's ballot measures is purportedly to fund necessary medical research, but a close examination reveals that it's basically a $4 billion taxpayer payout to a single sketchy nonprofit. That's why it's important to read the fine print.
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Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
If you're in these 3 states, *TODAY* is deadline to register to vote. Alaska Rhode Island South Carolina Even if you think you've registered: doesn't hurt to check everything is in order. Do it now. And there's a lot to vote for across them. A thread with stakes on each. ⬇️
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Boots on the Ground Midwest @bootsonthegroundkc.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
‼️MISSOURI!!!!! You have until this WEDNESDAY to register to vote!!! Time is running out! Stop stressing us out and go register RIGHT NOW!!‼️ Call your family, text your friends, go tell random people on the street they need to make sure to register, make a yard sign, post it to your socials!! GOTV!⏱️
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Bénédicte C @benecal.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Jim O’Neill lawyer and NSF Director + Russell Vought OMB Director “diverted” NSF funds. NSF is an institution. People are responsible.
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TrumpsTaxes @trumpstaxes.com · 02/10/2026
This is #NY17 and its immediate surroundings. It is the ONLY toss-up seat in this area...and it needs help. EVERY district it borders in NY, CT and NJ is Safe 🔵. So I'm asking... If you (or anyone you know) lives in-or-near this area (or even NYC) PLEASE come out to volunteer for Cait Conley.
Map of New York's 17th District and its surrounding areas where Democrats are trying to elect Cait Conley @caitfornewyork.bsky.social and defeat Mike Lawler.
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Peter Sagal @petersagal.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
this is remarkable
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Sarah J. Jackson @sjjphd.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Oh look more and more elaborate scams using artificially generated and digitally manipulated content to prey on academics and researchers.
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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Jay Edidin @edidin.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
🧵
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Mark Histed @markhisted.org · 27/09/2026
In a private discussion today this came up: “We need the January 6th Commission hearings, for DOGE.” One could do a lot with NIH and NSF alone. There are clinical trials that ended, patients that died, young people leaving the US… and bad stuff that happened inside the agencies.
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ProPublica @propublica.org · 26/09/2026
NEW: ProPublica’s Jake Pearson lost $10,000 mimicking the betting patterns of a problem gambler on DraftKings to test the company’s “responsible gaming” safeguards. One week in, he was invited to become a VIP — and faced little pushback as he spiraled.
propublica.org
I Deliberately Bet Like a Problem Gambler. DraftKings Made Me a VIP.
Amid growing public health concerns, operators like DraftKings have touted “responsible gaming” tools and prompts. But as I went off the deep end, I found they were no match for the incentives and pro...
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Ellie Wolfe @elliew0lfe.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Scoop: Roughly 20 faculty members at Bowie State University, at least one of them tenured, have been told they won’t have a job next year as administrators seek to curb the historically Black university’s $18 million deficit. www.thebanner.com/education/hi...
thebanner.com
Bowie State University to lay off 20 faculty members amid $18 million deficit
Roughly 20 faculty members at Bowie State University, at least one of them tenured, have been told they won’t have a job next year as administrators seek to curb the historically Black university’s $1...
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BK. Titanji @boghuma.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
"I’m saying that I would personally mouth-pipette a solution of pure chloroform right now, today, in front of God and the NIH Director and the entire Office of Research Safety, if it meant a young scientist in my department could get a payline above 20%." substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com
Opinion: I Miss When The NIH Payline Was 40% And We All Mouth-Pipetted Phenol
By Dr. Douglas R. Waverly, Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry, Yale University
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Daniel Suitor @danielsuitor.com · 24/09/2026
I don't have time to write more, but ICE is working to remove people to third countries in violation of D.V.D. v. DHS. I've been up since 5:20 A.M. working with two other attorneys to prevent our client from being shipped out. If you rep someone at risk of third country removal, check on them NOW
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Chris J Fisher @c-j-fisher.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Once more, for the people in the back, federal scientific grant funding decisions should be driven by expert #PeerReview. Russ Vought, Director of the OMB, is aiming to tighten partisan, non-expert political control over research grant funding decisions. arstechnica.com/science/2026... (1/11) 🧪
arstechnica.com
Russel Vought will reportedly be given veto power over all NIH grants
Pending move comes over the objections of the NIH director.
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Ctenophores Rock! @ctenophoresrock.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
This is Bob. They are a hermaphroditic comb jelly that recently underwent reverse development from adult lobate to larval cydippid, following a period of stress. The event reduced our colony to just Bob. Once our food source stabilized, Bob began to flourish & what was 1 Bob is now 500+ Bobettes! 🦑
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Max Kennerly @maxkennerly.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Dude thinks he's appealing to "moderates" (really just a handful of right-wing podcasters) and can't stop printing out receipts that say "Gavin ain't got that dog in him." His veto may as well have been sent from another planet where Republicans don't instantly breach every supposed norm.
While I share the author's views on the importance of protecting these important healthcare services, extradition is an exclusively executive function. When discretionary, that discretion is appropriately placed with the Governor. I am troubled by the precedent that would be set if an outgoing administration agreed with the Legislature to erode the executive authority of an incoming Governor based on their shared policy preferences, regardless of how righteous and well-intended those actions may be.
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Jason Ukman @jasonukman.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
NEW: Reed Jobs, a prominent biotech investor (and son of another Jobs you may have heard of), calls for a doubling of the NIH budget to $100 billion. Via @statnews.com. www.statnews.com/2026/09/21/n...
statnews.com
The NIH budget should be $100 billion per year
“We should be strengthening our investment in the NIH, not dismantling it,” writes Reed Jobs.
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Mark Histed @markhisted.org · 20/09/2026
“The arrangement would give Vought, the director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, a direct role in determining how NIH distributes its $48 billion in congressionally-appropriated money.” Bypassing the many checks and balances at NIH on grant funding decisions.
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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Article is useful in that it shows that a) Trump is directly involved in these decisions, b) sees them in purely personalist terms - he wants to politicize research grants so he can destroy Harvard for daring to defy him
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Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Russell Vought wants to be in charge of #ScienceDeathPanels at NIH. Congress has made it pretty clear they don’t want political appointees in charge of funding decisions. Science community: it’s time to get loud (again)! www.politico.com/news/2026/09...
politico.com
Trump asked budget chief to draft order bringing health research funding under his control
The move came after the NIH director refused Trump’s request to cut Harvard grants in an Oval Office meeting.
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Dr Alessio Veneziano @aveneziano.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Incredible scientific advances that make people's lives better are possible because of funding and the space to pursue ideas. Learn about #science, protect it and demand fair access to the applications of its discoveries because your life wouldn't be as good without. 🧪
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Stand Up for Science! @standupforscience.net · 17/09/2026
The Trump admin has decimated American science budgets, taking away life saving opportunities, and the potential for groundbreaking discoveries. This is how you destroy American innovation. apnews.com/article/trum...
apnews.com
Trump administration has cut or frozen $177 billion in grants across every state, analysis shows
An analysis finds that the Trump administration has cut or frozen up to $177 billion in federal grants since the president took office for his second term.
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The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 17/09/2026
Migrant fishers and union organizers say StarKist, a canned tuna brand in the U.S, buys tuna caught under conditions that amount to forced labor, according to a report. Among the 92 fishers interviewed, forced-labor “indicators” were present in all cases.
washingtonpost.com
StarKist’s tuna supply chain partly relies on forced labor, report finds
Workers allege involuntary labor and other abuses on Taiwan-flagged fishing boats that supply the U.S. brand, according to a report by Global Labor Justice.
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Derek Lowe @dereklowe.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Thread. The close personal details of how this government is pulling the plug on a generation of scientific progress.
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NBC News @nbcnews.com · 17/09/2026
The new wild cat species is about the size of a domestic kitten and lives in Bolivia.
nbcnews.to
New wild cat species is identified for first time in 100 years, researchers say
A type of tiger cat, the animal is smaller than a house cat, slender and spotted. It lives in the Bolivian cloud forest.
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Blue the Science Dude @science-dude.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Double-slit milestone! [10nm-stone?] Top: Classic demonstration of particles behaving as waves.🧪 Bottom: Column of atoms a mere 10nm long acts like double slit, producing interference patterns at incredibly small scale. Bakes my noodle. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
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Philip Ball @philipcball.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
I am rather delighted by this paper. So here’s a thread to tell you why, and why it matters. /1 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
science.org
Noncoding transcription controls the developmental dynamics of long-range gene regulation
The genomic regions regulating gene expression are often themselves transcribed into a variety of noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs). However, the regulatory roles of this noncoding transcription remain largely unknown. By using live imaging, we reveal that the ...
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