Sign in

John Higgins

@jhigginswriter.bsky.social
899 followers 2.6K following 221 posts

Science writer, Fred Hutch News, covering the Basic Sciences and Human Biology research divisions of Fred Hutch Cancer Center @fredhutch.bsky.social. Frmr @seattletimes-rss.bsky.social, Akron Beacon Journal, soljourno.bsky.social, @ksjatmit.bsky.social.

PostsRepliesMedia
John Higgins @jhigginswriter.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Every word, especially the bits about AI "going rogue," which obfuscates mundane human incompetence at best, reckless pursuit of profit at worst.
000
John Higgins @jhigginswriter.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
A lovely tribute!
010
John Higgins @jhigginswriter.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Is there anyone more clever and delightful on the Internet than Elle Cordova? No there is not.
000
Reposted by John Higgins
Genetics Society of America @genetics-gsa.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
How can a tiny worm shape a scientific career? Join 2026 GSA Mentorship Award recipient @irinakitop.bsky.social of @fredhutch.org on August 20 at 1:00 p.m. EDT as she shares how C. elegans has guided discoveries, collaborations, and approaches to mentorship. 🔗https://buff.ly/iUmQCCQ
0188
John Higgins @jhigginswriter.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
I hope prosecutors, judges and juries, as well as historians, take a good long look at this regime.
010
John Higgins @jhigginswriter.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Some days I scroll this site and despair for modern civilization. But I just left a PhD defense that filled me with hope (more to come soon on that at Fred Hutch News). This place has always made great science but it should also be known that Fred Hutch makes great scientists.
040
Reposted by John Higgins
Donna Minkowitz @donnaminkowitz.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
EVERYONE reading this needs to post a comment on the OMB rule before midnight to stop the government from fucking science forever.
054
John Higgins @jhigginswriter.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Our good friends on Vancouver Island, BC would like a word about the deteriorating Canada-US relationship.
000
John Higgins @jhigginswriter.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
The costs of losing the last election have only begun to be calculated, but they must be calculated in full.
000
Reposted by John Higgins
Fred Hutch Basic Sciences Division @basicsci.fredhutch.org · 22/06/2026
"Open science before it had a name." @FredHutch.org's Dr. Steve Henikoff has been doing it for 50+ years! Read @springernature.com how he helped shape modern genomics and pushed for more open scientific practices:
springernature.com
Open science before it had a name: An interview with molecular biologist Steven Henikoff | For Researchers | Springer Nature
Dr. Steven Henikoff shares his experiences of how sharing protocols enables other people to use a method you develop, and how this moves the
031
Reposted by John Higgins
The Cancer Letter @cancerletter.com · 22/06/2026
“This is a 5-alarm fire, and we need people, everyone, to first of all, understand the implications of these new policies and make sure that you reach out and make your voice heard,” said Carolyn Bertozzi, Nobel laureate, about the new OMB rule cancerletter.com/the-cancer-letter/…
cancerletter.com
Proposed OMB rule aims at the heart of the U.S. research enterprise—and scientists are fighting back “The question isn’t whether politics will influence research. Under this proposal, that’s the point....
Here are the battle lines: The White House Office of Management and Budget has published a “Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance,” a proposed rule that seeks to fundamentally redraw the ground rules for all federally funded research. On the other side are America’s scientists who aren’t just crying foul—they are readying for a political fight. […]
03626
John Higgins @jhigginswriter.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Fred Hutch News writer Diane Mapes knows the difference between hope and hype, which is why patients trust her and you should too.
020
John Higgins @jhigginswriter.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
"What OMB is proposing is not a reform of grants management. It is a complete political control apparatus layered over every stage of the federal science funding lifecycle."
162
Reposted by John Higgins
Behnam Nabet @behnamnabet.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
Proud to share our latest paper in @rscchembio.rsc.org, where we tackle oncogenic TRK fusions. Together, @sauravk05.bsky.social and Jiewei Jiang develop potent and selective degraders of the TPM3-TRKA fusion, a key cancer driver. pubs.rsc.org/en/content/a...
pubs.rsc.org
Development of PROTACs for targeted degradation of oncogenic TRK fusions
Chromosomal translocations leading to the fusion of tropomyosin receptor kinases (TRKs) with diverse partner proteins have been identified as oncogenic drivers in many adult and pediatric cancers. Whi...
2227
John Higgins @jhigginswriter.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
Good luck @fredhutch.org applicants!
000
John Higgins @jhigginswriter.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
"We cannot just say ‘okay, we're going to stop work on anything that is not related to human research’, because – actually – it's all relevant to humans."
020
John Higgins @jhigginswriter.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
@behnamnabet.bsky.social at Fred Hutch Cancer Center is doing important work on KRAS degraders www.fredhutch.org/en/news/cent...
fredhutch.org
Tricking cells into trashing cancer
In a study published today in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Fred Hutch Cancer Center cancer chemical biologist Behnam Nabet and his collaborators describe how they used targeted protein degradation in mice to rapidly destroy lung and pancreas tumors caused by a variant of a commonly mutated, cancer-driving gene.
011
Reposted by John Higgins
Lucas Sullivan @lucasbsullivan.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Pleased to share our recent work out today in @natmetabolism.nature.com. This study addresses a longstanding mystery - NRF2-driven cancers increase cysteine acquisition (via xCT) by ~5x - so where does all that cysteine go?
25023
John Higgins @jhigginswriter.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Impeach is the word of the day and the week and the month. Impeachment now.
000
Reposted by John Higgins
Kristian G. Andersen @kgandersen.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
Since I'm getting a questions about the new data - a few _preliminary_ comments: 1️⃣ Are the outbreaks in the US connected? 👉 Very likely. 2️⃣ Does this mean US will lose elimination status? 👉 Yes, but that's been clear for a while. Data: nextstrain.org/measles/geno... A few details + caveats 🧵👇
312360
John Higgins @jhigginswriter.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
From Newport, Oregon on one end of US 20 to Boston, MA, sea to shining sea.
020
John Higgins @jhigginswriter.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
#NoKings in Newport, Oregon, one of many up and down the beautiful Oregon coast!
0131
John Higgins @jhigginswriter.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
Remember this when you hear someone opine that there's not a dime's worth of difference between the parties, it's just two wings of the business party, etc. There's a cost in human life when D's lose elections. That should count in the moral calculus of withholding support from flawed candidates.
000
Reposted by John Higgins
Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
1. A #flu update: #CDC has learned of 8 more pediatric flu deaths, bringing this season's total to 123. That number will continue to rise; deaths are often reported on a delay. Case in point: 2024-25's peds death total rose by 1 last week with a death from Feb '25 just reported. ~85% were not vaxed.
24413
John Higgins @jhigginswriter.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
Salute to Susan Parkhurst, the newest AAAS fellow from Fred Hutch Cancer Center @fredhutch.org @basicsci.fredhutch.org
042
John Higgins @jhigginswriter.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
This is more than a threat to a field of research, it's a threat to 21st century civilization: "We are living through a period in which the scaffolding underpinning entire bodies of knowledge is no longer secure."
041
John Higgins @jhigginswriter.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
"The fingerprint evidence shows that bead-making was not limited to a small group of specialists. Instead, individuals of different ages, including children, took part in shaping these objects, indicating the process unfolded in shared, social settings."
094
John Higgins @jhigginswriter.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
Seattle should appreciate what an increasingly rare thing it is to have a real independent local newspaper (with a Sunday Magazine!) doing real journalism and not some hedge fund-owned, skeleton crew-operated, AI-boosted, content-cranking outfit milking the last dime out of a newspaper in name only.
052
John Higgins @jhigginswriter.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
Sally James spoke, too, and gave voice to the many science journalists laid off and the many science communicators expelled from the federal institutions we all rely on. She crushed it!
2448
John Higgins @jhigginswriter.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
Winner winner! 🏆
000
John Higgins @jhigginswriter.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
#standupforscience Seattle stands up for science!
28917
John Higgins @jhigginswriter.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
Ready to roll in Seattle! @standupforscience.bsky.social @sufsseattle.bsky.social
Sign for Stand Up For Science Seattle: picture of salmon and text: The only king we need: king salmon
250
John Higgins @jhigginswriter.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
I'll be there!
020
John Higgins @jhigginswriter.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
I'll be there!
010
John Higgins @jhigginswriter.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
So the president says the bombing won't stop until the country the Speaker of the House says we're not at war with surrenders unconditionally.
063
John Higgins @jhigginswriter.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
"Our understanding is still very primitive; we are so ignorant about how the brain works when interacting with other people. It’s such a complex field, due to the brain being as complex as it is."
020
John Higgins @jhigginswriter.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
Nothing captures the spirit of Fred Hutch Cancer Center better than recognition of mentorship. Well done, Irini Topalidou!
051
Reposted by John Higgins
@PhysGenCenter @physgencenter.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
Friday Feb. 27 at 12pm CT, Prof. Steve Henikoff presents the Monthly Seminar on Physical Genomics: "Histone Overexpression In Cancer" live on Zoom! Registration is free at tinyurl.com/2rw8n7bt #northwestern #cancer #genomics #research #chromatin #dna #science #biology #cpge #fredhutch #research
043
Reposted by John Higgins
Charles Ornstein @charlesornstein.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
Such an important story: ProPublica went inside the immigrant detention center for families in Dilley, Texas. Children held there told us about the anguish of being ripped from their lives in the U.S. and the fear of what comes next. @micarosenberg.bsky.social
propublica.org
The Kids Trump Sent to ICE’s Dilley Detention Center
ProPublica went inside the immigrant detention center for families in Dilley, Texas. Children held there told us about the anguish of being ripped from their lives in the United States and the fear of...
3188126
Reposted by John Higgins
Fred Hutch @fredhutch.org · 09/02/2026
SEAHAWKS WIN! 🏈🏆 A big night for the @seahawksofficial.com and the city that stands behind them. Congrats on the incredible victory! 💙💚 #seahawks #sblx #seattle #gohawks
0257
Reposted by John Higgins
Garrett M. Graff @vermontgmg.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
Here's my full 50-page indictment of CBP and ICE and decades of corruption, abuse of force, racism, and misogyny. I promise you — however bad you've ever thought it was, the full reality is even worse, deadlier, and more corrupt. This isn't a "Trump only" phenomenon:
191447594
Reposted by John Higgins
Sanjay Srivastava @sanjaysrivastava.com · 31/01/2026
Hey @murray.senate.gov @cantwell.senate.gov do not let me hear one more word about “guardrails” or “training” for this disgusting criminal enterprise
132
John Higgins @jhigginswriter.bsky.social · 18/01/2026
We're going to need the wisdom of many mentors to survive these difficult times.
000
Reposted by John Higgins
Maitreya Dunham @maitreya.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
The lab is looking to hire 2 new undergraduate researchers! You'll get to work on yeast experimental evolution & genomics. UW students only (and this link won't work for others, sorry). Work study students very welcome to apply! Pays the prevailing minimum wage. app.joinhandshake.com/emp/jobs/106...
app.joinhandshake.com
Sign In | Handshake
024
Reposted by John Higgins
Association of Health Care Journalists @healthjournalism.org · 11/12/2025
Early-career journalists, this is your moment! SHERF gives you training, mentorship and support to grow your reporting. Deadline Dec. 19. Apply here 👉 healthjournalism.org/fellowships/...
healthjournalism.org
National Science-Health-Environment Reporting Fellowships
The SHERF fellowships are made to support early-career journalists who are pursuing careers in science, health or environmental reporting.
042
John Higgins @jhigginswriter.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
Refusing to fix it is very much an action.
010
John Higgins @jhigginswriter.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
Because the serious media decided some time ago that conducting a serious discussion about the president's mental health, informed by experts, simply cannot happen because of some "rule" from the last century, we are left with futile "bonkers" comments and late night comedy.
041
John Higgins @jhigginswriter.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
"We are saying that we have no specific scientific knowledge of genetic reasons that one child performs better than another, and we don’t appear especially close to discovering any."
010