Jason “Obstacle to Progress” Williams @jasonwilliamsny.bsky.social · 1hWrapping up the gardening season; tomato red sauce; lacto-fermented mango habanero hot sauce. 030
Reposted by Jason “Obstacle to Progress” WilliamsTimothy McBride @mcbridetd.bsky.social · 04/10/2026A Campus Reckoning: ‘Cornell Is Now Known for This’ www.nytimes.com/2026/10/04/n...nytimes.comA Campus Reckoning: ‘Cornell Is Now Known for This’Accusations of sexual assault at a fraternity party have tarnished the self-image of a fiercely proud Ivy League institution. Can the university ever be the same? 24434184
Reposted by Jason “Obstacle to Progress” Williamselizabethginexi.bsky.social @elizabethginexi.bsky.social · 02/10/2026The National Science Foundation withheld $1.4 billion that Congress intended for research in 2026. The White House wants to redirect the money to a limited set of administration priorities, including artificial intelligence and quantum computing. Ignoring Congress. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/02/u...nytimes.comNational Science Foundation Diverted $1.4 Billion in Science Funds Mandated by Congress (Gift Article)The move, affecting about one-fifth of the National Science Foundation’s primary research budget, is the latest sign of how the White House is asserting more control over grants. 0115
Reposted by Jason “Obstacle to Progress” WilliamsTed Cruz called the FBI on me @weareronin.bsky.social · 02/10/2026 2313863941
Reposted by Jason “Obstacle to Progress” WilliamsDave Levitan @davelevitan.bsky.social · 02/10/2026You're gonna need a bigger chart 20689291
Reposted by Jason “Obstacle to Progress” WilliamsBWJones @bwjones.bsky.social · 02/10/2026One in eight cases of cancer and likely multiple sclerosis is caused by Epstein-Barr. Imagine what we could do for global public he’s with a vaccine for this. 2289
Reposted by Jason “Obstacle to Progress” WilliamsKelly Dawe @corncolors.bsky.social · 01/10/2026The UGA Genetics Department is hiring! Please help spread the word. We have an opening for an Associate Professor/Professor in Genetics, Synthetic Biology, and Biological Engineering. See ad for details – and join us here in Athens, GA! 24174
Jason “Obstacle to Progress” Williams @jasonwilliamsny.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Who is the hero we need right now?? If you could make a Tuvix out of any two people, which two and why? 010
Reposted by Jason “Obstacle to Progress” WilliamsKarolina Heyduk @kheyduk.bsky.social · 30/09/2026UConn EEB is hiring a tropical horticulturalist for our greenhouses! It's an awesome collection of both research+teaching/public display, and you get to work with pretty amazing folks (I may be biased). Job listing: jobs.hr.uconn.edu/en-us/job/49... Closes 10/14! 🌴🌿🌵🌺jobs.hr.uconn.eduUConn Careers | UConn Careers | University of Connecticut 32445
Reposted by Jason “Obstacle to Progress” Williams Comfortably Numb @numb.comfortab.ly · 28/09/2026Claude making a scientific discovery 182102483
Reposted by Jason “Obstacle to Progress” WilliamsCell - a Cell Press journal @cp-cell.bsky.social · 23/09/2026Now online! Direct cell-to-cell transmission of retrotransposonsdlvr.itDirect cell-to-cell transmission of retrotransposonsRetrotransposons can infect neighboring cells using a mechanism that relies on a small fusogen-like protein rather than on the envelope protein that is typically required for infection. 28137
Reposted by Jason “Obstacle to Progress” WilliamsColin Carlson @colincarlson.bsky.social · 24/09/2026Oh, you can listen to the Morning Edition story on our new Nature article! www.npr.org/2026/09/24/n...npr.orgNew research suggests human actions could be driving increase in disease outbreaksInfectious disease outbreaks are on the rise worldwide. A new analysis finds human actions, from deforestation to climate change, are partly responsible. 14414
Reposted by Jason “Obstacle to Progress” WilliamsNahel Belgherze @wxnb.bsky.social · 24/09/2026Unbelievable footage from NOAA’s Hurricane Hunters inside the eye of Category 5 Hurricane Polo. Simply incredible. 521589531
Reposted by Jason “Obstacle to Progress” WilliamsBF Francis Ouellette @bffo.bsky.social · 24/09/2026From #NCBI Insight | A New Way to Explore Connections in Biomedical Literature | #OpenScience #Education #Research #PubMed #PubMedLink #CitationLink #CouldMakeAGoodDATABASEPaper | 🧪🔓 ⬇️ ncbiinsights.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2026/09/24/e...ncbiinsights.ncbi.nlm.nih.govA New Way to Explore Connections in Biomedical Literature - NCBI InsightsWe’re excited to announce the launch of Linked Discoveries™, a new experimental pilot resource developed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) that helps researchers, clinicians, information speci... 053
Reposted by Jason “Obstacle to Progress” WilliamsLarry Hunter @proflhunter.bsky.social · 23/09/2026Someone in the administration (not at NIH) ordered NIH's eRA electronic research administration system shut down. That's a pretty heavy handed intervention, especially in the last week of the fiscal year. Does not bode well. 0105
Reposted by Jason “Obstacle to Progress” Williamssamuel mehr @mehr.nz · 23/09/2026after some in-depth discussions with my lab and also drawing on conversations on here, we've edited our new policy on AI usage in my lab feel free to adapt or re-use with attribution, or to reply to tell me how awful this policy is lol 1413341
Reposted by Jason “Obstacle to Progress” Williamsgrimmrad 🧬🎼🖼️🏛️ @grimmrad.bsky.social · 22/09/2026What infuriates me the most is that OMB chair's daughter survived CF because of NIH funded research.. Yet he moves full steam ahead to gut that institution. Destroying the institution his family benefitted from. 041
Reposted by Jason “Obstacle to Progress” WilliamsColin Carlson @colincarlson.bsky.social · 20/09/2026all of this is exactly correct, and what i would add is: no person has ever spent 100 hours writing a scientific paper hoping, hoping with all their heart, that potential readers will skip that step to go straight to some mangled summary you didn't even write 013744
Jason “Obstacle to Progress” Williams @jasonwilliamsny.bsky.social · 21/09/2026I only have one hot plate at the Observatory, and some ingredients aren’t easy to find on this side of Puerto Rico. I don’t let that stop me from making an acceptable dinner (for one). 1151
Reposted by Jason “Obstacle to Progress” WilliamsGareth Funning @gfun.earth · 15/09/2026NSF GEO webinar summary: we have reduced programs from 15 down to 3, we have no deadlines, we have no guidelines on project size, duration or budget, we have no money 85933
Reposted by Jason “Obstacle to Progress” WilliamsJoshua Weitz @joshuasweitz.bsky.social · 16/09/2026The White House and OMB's diminished vision for science and medical research undercuts discoveries to come... ... and will lead to significant, near-term economic losses totaling tens of billions of $-s and tens of thousands of jobs. scienceimpacts.org/fy27scienceimpacts.orgSCIMaP - Impacts of Federal Cuts to Science and Medical ResearchView Projected Impact of the FY2027 Budget Cuts to the NIH and NSF 32632
Reposted by Jason “Obstacle to Progress” WilliamsMika Rantanen @mikarantane.bsky.social · 16/09/2026El Niño strengthening into unseen territory. The Niño3.4 region just reached a +3.0 °C anomaly (relative to the 1991–2020). Such a warmth has never been observed in September, and it's only a few hundredths of a degree away from the 2015 all-time record. 11484271
Reposted by Jason “Obstacle to Progress” WilliamsJenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 16/09/2026Redirecting NSF funding to pet projects of the administration. www.science.org/content/arti...science.orgNSF memo implementing Trump’s ‘golden age’ of science unsettles researchersNew document emphasizes support for White House priorities over curiosity-driven ideas 42021
Jason “Obstacle to Progress” Williams @jasonwilliamsny.bsky.social · 16/09/2026Just found this. Wow. Extremely transparent. youtu.be/4Q3vzl1yJYU?...youtu.beToccata in D Minor, Op. 11YouTube video by İdil Biret - Topic 000
Reposted by Jason “Obstacle to Progress” WilliamsAlexandra Phelan 余雪莲 @alexandraphelan.bsky.social · 14/09/2026Americans are unafraid of putting too much in a sandwich and it makes for some truly excellent sandwiches. 122141462
Jason “Obstacle to Progress” Williams @jasonwilliamsny.bsky.social · 13/09/2026The ancestors had ways to solve the problems we seem to still struggle with. 141
Reposted by Jason “Obstacle to Progress” WilliamsBerin Szóka @berinszoka.bsky.social · 09/09/2026Photo of the decade: AfD leader Alice Weidel 399208444807
Reposted by Jason “Obstacle to Progress” WilliamsThe Onion @theonion.com · 09/09/2026“Humanity has never faced a more deadly carrier of disease and bacteria than children, and their total removal is a massive medical breakthrough and a milestone in the management of illness in this country,” — Jane Christiansen, CDC spokesperson theonion.comCDC Successfully Eradicates ChildrenATLANTA—Hailing its success as a major victory for the public health and safety of all Americans, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Monday that it had successfully eradicated ch... 301570273
Jason “Obstacle to Progress” Williams @jasonwilliamsny.bsky.social · 07/09/2026Dinner: Huli huli chicken. 070
Reposted by Jason “Obstacle to Progress” WilliamsNeedhi Bhalla 💅🏽 @needhibhalla.bsky.social · 06/09/2026This is about higher education but smaller class size is probably the simplest and most important improvement you could also make in K-12 education. 3208
Reposted by Jason “Obstacle to Progress” WilliamsSonya Neal @neal-lab.bsky.social · 05/09/2026Another wonderful opportunity where UCSD School of Biological Sciences is hiring! We’re looking for an outstanding colleague to join our vibrant scientific community. Come do exciting science with us in beautiful San Diego! apol-recruit.ucsd.edu/JPF04607 Please share widely!apol-recruit.ucsd.eduAssistant, Associate, or Full Professor of Transformational Biological TechnologiesUniversity of California, San Diego is hiring. Apply now! 23023
Jason “Obstacle to Progress” Williams @jasonwilliamsny.bsky.social · 06/09/2026From the color I reckon these are peach flavored 🍑. 380
Reposted by Jason “Obstacle to Progress” WilliamsJenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 05/09/2026Bhattacharya’s NIH has made a habit of ignoring the expert input of NIH staff. They push forward “solutions” even when we point out the new problems they will create. The consequences come in harm to research participants, lost research advances & a contracted workforce. substack.com/@27unihted/n...substack.comChanging policies without staff input is creating foreseeable damageConcern 6 of the Bethesda Declaration: One Year Later 05019
Reposted by Jason “Obstacle to Progress” WilliamsAlex Merz 🇺🇸🇨🇦🇺🇦 @merz.bsky.social · 04/09/2026Why would NIH cancel this particular NOFO a year early? @jeremymberg.bsky.socialgrants.nih.govNOT-HG-26-002: Notice of Early Expiration of PAR-25-229, "Investigator Initiated Innovation in Computational Genomics and Data Science (R21 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)"NIH Funding Opportunities and Notices in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts: Notice of Early Expiration of PAR-25-229, 5115
Reposted by Jason “Obstacle to Progress” Williamselizabethginexi.bsky.social @elizabethginexi.bsky.social · 04/09/20261/3 of young scientists planning careers in academic research changed their minds in the spring of 2025, according to a new survey, with fewer expecting to remain in higher education and in the U.S. to work or feeling that pursuing a Ph.D. was the right decision. news.harvard.edu/gazette/stor...news.harvard.eduSurvey of young researchers raises concerns over future of science in U.S. — Harvard GazetteFewer planning careers in academy, nation, and more doubt value of Ph.D. amid policy shifts in funding, international students 23834
Reposted by Jason “Obstacle to Progress” WilliamsLarry Hunter @proflhunter.bsky.social · 05/09/2026"Liability laundering" 😂 but also 🤨 011
Reposted by Jason “Obstacle to Progress” WilliamsBF Francis Ouellette @bffo.bsky.social · 03/09/2026After 17 years as Associate Editor, I’m honoured to become the next Editor-in-Chief for #OUP ’s #DATABASE journal. 4 the next 3 months, I’ll work w/ @davidlandsman.bsky.social, building on his pioneering leadership while shaping the journal’s next chapter database.oxfordjournals.org #Biocuration 3111
Reposted by Jason “Obstacle to Progress” WilliamsJeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 01/09/2026For those in the mood for some seriously well-done gallows humor, I heartily recommend this... inpreparation.substack.com/p/nih-simpli...inpreparation.substack.comNIH Simplifies Grant Scoring To 👍 🤷♂️ 😂BETHESDA, MD—The National Institutes of Health announced Tuesday that it would replace its 50-year-old numerical scoring system with a streamlined three-emoji format, in which grant applications will ... 711440
Reposted by Jason “Obstacle to Progress” WilliamsBF Francis Ouellette @bffo.bsky.social · 01/09/2026From Greg Wilson in arXiv | Twelve Quick Tips for Managing IT Disasters in Small Research Software Teams | #Informatics #OpenScience #Research #IT #DisastersPlanning #NotYetAPLOSCBQT | 🖥️🧪🔥🔓 ⬇️ arxiv.org/abs/2608.27196arxiv.orgTwelve Quick Tips for Managing IT Disasters in Small Research Software TeamsIn 2025, the US government launched an unprecedented series of attacks on its own scientific research groups. A year later GitHub dropped below 90% availability for the first time, while wildfires in ... 076
Reposted by Jason “Obstacle to Progress” Williams[Sic] Burns @sicburns2.bsky.social · 31/08/2026Cheer up guys raw cookie dough is now at least as safe as most fresh produce 563457670
Jason “Obstacle to Progress” Williams @jasonwilliamsny.bsky.social · 31/08/2026BBQ heavily foreshadowed. 030
Jason “Obstacle to Progress” Williams @jasonwilliamsny.bsky.social · 30/08/2026They did say ask anything… 020
Reposted by Jason “Obstacle to Progress” WilliamsNeedhi Bhalla 💅🏽 @needhibhalla.bsky.social · 30/08/2026"But he'd never been so foolish as to fall for that long con, the biggest con of all, that there were other places besides New York City." -Cool Machine I LOVE how much Colson Whitehead LOVES NYC 1131
Reposted by Jason “Obstacle to Progress” WilliamsJeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 28/08/2026THIS is an example of what many have been worried about wrt NIH Institute Directors. No NIH experience, limited publication record, minimal management experience but LOADS OF CONNECTIONS AROUND POLITICIZED ISSUES THAT OVERLAP WITH SCIENCE. 27935
Reposted by Jason “Obstacle to Progress” WilliamsSARS‑CoV‑2 (COVID-19) @covid19disease.bsky.social · 28/08/2026🚨 BREAKTHROUGH: After 40 years of research, Brazilian scientist Dr. Mariangela Hungria wins the World Food Prize for pioneering a $2 nitrogen-fixing bacteria treatment that replaces costly fertilizers, saves farmers $25 billion annually, and cuts 230 million tons of CO₂ emissions. 326149904070
Jason “Obstacle to Progress” Williams @jasonwilliamsny.bsky.social · 26/08/2026In quella parte del libro de la mia memoria dinanzi a la quale poco si potrebbe leggere, si trova una rubrica la quale dice: Incipit vita nova. 000
Jason “Obstacle to Progress” Williams @jasonwilliamsny.bsky.social · 25/08/2026Getting ready to start the first symposium on @nanoporetech.com sequencing in Puerto Rico 🇵🇷! Hosted by @areciboc3stem.bsky.social Puerto Rico Science Trust and partners! 040
Reposted by Jason “Obstacle to Progress” WilliamsWolfgang Huber @wkhuber.bsky.social · 24/08/2026I wrote up a short blog post about this year's Ukrainian Biological Data Science Summer School, which took place over two weeks in July: www.huber.embl.de/group/posts/... @mikelove.bsky.social @helucro.bsky.social @ladaisa.bsky.socialhuber.embl.deUkrainian Biological Data Science Summer School 2026 – Huber Group @ EMBLUzhhorod, 11 - 25 July 2026: the fourth edition 2229
