iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Reese Richardson @reeserichardson.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

TL;DR: We've identified more than 100 cases of apparent manipulation in Thermo Fisher Scientific's antibody verification data. @sholtodavid.bsky.social @johanduchene.bsky.social reeserichardson.blog/2026/05/28/h...

reeserichardson.blog

How much of Thermo Fisher’s antibody data has been manipulated?

We’ve documented more than 100 instances of apparent data manipulation in Thermo’s catalog

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Reposted by Christopher LaRock

Ryan Marino, MD @ryanmarino.bsky.social · 01/10/2025

Next time you feel like things are tough, just remember that the winner of fat bear week came in second place twice and then won despite having a broken jaw all summer

cbsnews.com

32 Chunk voted as Fat Bear Week 2025 winner after 2 years as runner-up

As one of the largest bears that resides along Brooks River at Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska, 32 Chunk was estimated to be over 1,200 pounds.

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Ardem Patapoutian @ardemp.bskyverified.social · 18/09/2025

Apparently, chimpanzees consume equivalent of 1-2 standard alcoholic drinks per day in the wild via fermented fruit!! (h/t Nick Villarino) www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

science.org

Ethanol ingestion via frugivory in wild chimpanzees

Natural daily consumption of dietary alcohol by chimpanzees suggests human attraction to alcohol may come from our ancestral diet.

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UW Infectious Disease Fellowship Program @uwidfellowship.bsky.social · 18/09/2025

An overview of current and future applications of AI in infectious disease prevention and management, exploring the broad potential, available experimental evidence, real-life implementation examples, and technical normative, ethical, and policy barriers… #IDSky www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

thelancet.com

Artificial intelligence and infectious diseases: an evidence-driven conceptual framework for research, public health, and clinical practice

As artificial intelligence (AI) is projected to radically shape health care, its role in infectious disease prevention and management is drawing attention. AI offers promising opportunities to help ta...

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Wim Meijer @wimgmeijer.bsky.social · 17/09/2025

Outbreaks of dengue are killing thousands in South America each year and is getting worse. Brazil hopes to turn the tide with a vaccine and an army of mosquitoes infected with Wolbachia bacteria. These lower the odds mosquitoes can transmit the virus to humans. 🧪🦠 www.nature.com/articles/d41...

nature.com

How billions of hacked mosquitoes and a vaccine could beat the deadly dengue virus

Outbreaks of dengue are killing thousands of people in South America each year and getting worse. Brazil hopes to turn the tide with a home-grown vaccine and an army of mosquitoes infected with Wolbac...

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ᐯIᑕTOᖇ ᑎIᘔET, ᗰᗪ @nizet.bsky.social · 17/09/2025

Robert Redford (RIP) survived a childhood bout of polio though bedridden for 2 weeks In 2014, he directed a short film on the architecture and mission of La Jolla's Salk Institute—honoring founder Jonas Salk, inventor of the polio vaccine that has saved countless lives, and architect Louis Kahn

youtu.be

CATHEDRALS OF CULTURE - Clip ROBERT REDFORD: Salk Institute -- La Jolla, California, USA - HD

YouTube video by neueroadmovies

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ᐯIᑕTOᖇ ᑎIᘔET, ᗰᗪ @nizet.bsky.social · 07/08/2025

Please share my 1 min video on the importance of maintaining NIH funding of infectious diseases and drug discovery research vs rising antibiotic resistance Drastic budget cuts harm our health and imperil the next generation of scientists More @UCSanDiego “Behind Every Breakthrough” bit.ly/3FlXQs3

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American Society for Cell Biology @ascbiology.bsky.social · 30/07/2025

Lawmakers to NIH: Use it or lose it. 14 Republican Senators—including key appropriators—are urging the White House to release NIH FY25 funds without delay, warning that stalled spending could harm future research budgets. Read more: www.ascb.org/science-poli...

ascb.org

“Use It or Lose It!” - ASCB

Fourteen Republican Senators have written to Russell Vought, Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB)—the agency responsible for developing the President’s annual budget propo...

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ASM @asm.org · 04/08/2025

On Aug. 1, ASM & partner societies filed an expanded amicus brief with SCOTUS to defend scientific integrity & protect early-career researchers. The brief highlights the harm caused by NIH grant terminations, including canceling the MOSAIC program. asm.org/press-releas...

asm.org

Scientific Societies File Supreme Court Amicus Brief in Support of NIH Grantees

ASM and fellow societies filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court, calling for the swift restoration of NIH grant funding supporting early-career scientists, such as the MOSAIC program.

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Lauren Palmer @laurenpalmer.bsky.social · 04/08/2025

Super excited to share our paper online 🚨today🚨 in Cell Host & Microbe‬! Xiaomei Ren @xiaomeiren.bsky.social and Mason Clark @rmasonclark.bsky.social‬ co-led discovery of ecological factors for Acinetobacter baumannii carriage in the gut, a reservoir for pathogen spread. 🎉 tinyurl.com/443kfefk

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Christopher LaRock @larocklab.com · 14/04/2025

In which the Whitney lab describes cool new family of antimicrobial toxins present in some Gram+ pathogens 💊

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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 13/04/2025

My quote of the day (A long one) Of all the traits which qualify a scientist for citizenship in the republic of science, I would put a sense of responsibility as a scientist at the very top. 1/n

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Asaf Levy @asaflevylab.bsky.social · 13/04/2025

It is not easy to discover a receptor. by Karla Stachel's group. @karlasatchell.bsky.social Vibrio MARTX toxin binding of biantennary N-glycans at host cell surfaces | Science Advances www.science.org/doi/full/10....

science.org

Vibrio MARTX toxin binding of biantennary N-glycans at host cell surfaces

The large pore-forming toxin MARTX with broad tissue tropism binds the essential unit of N-glycans on eukaryotic cell membranes.

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Reposted by Christopher LaRock

Nature Portfolio @natureportfolio.nature.com · 13/04/2025

Gene editing and many other useful biotechnology tools came from studies of bacteria fighting off viral invaders, but scientists have only begun to unlock the secrets of this microbial warfare. Read the Nature feature on what breakthroughs could be next. 🧪

go.nature.com

Microbial warfare brought us CRISPR. What big breakthroughs could be next?

Gene editing and many other useful biotechnology tools came from studies of bacteria fighting off viral invaders. But scientists have only begun to unlock the secrets of this ancient arms race.

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Reposted by Christopher LaRock

Hisham Zerriffi @hishamzerriffi.bsky.social · 14/03/2025

"PLOS will not compromise on issues of scientific rigor and editorial integrity." From a PLOS post about recent Executive Orders. I'm an editor for PLOSOne and very glad to see this family of journals not comply with anti-scientific political diktats. #AcademicChatter #StandUpForScience

theplosblog.plos.org

PLOS statement on recent US Executive Orders and scientific integrity - The Official PLOS Blog

Since its founding over twenty five years ago PLOS has been dedicated to advancing open science, ensuring that knowledge is accessible to…

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Amy Orsborn @neuroamyo.bsky.social · 12/03/2025

I'm already hearing rumblings from academic leaders that tenure clock extensions may be part of how early career researchers weather this new storm. A reminder that clock extensions are not the easy solution some think them to be: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... We must do better by junior faculty.

pnas.org

Extended time, elevated expectations: The unappreciated downsides of pausing the tenure clock | PNAS

Extended time, elevated expectations: The unappreciated downsides of pausing the tenure clock

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Eric Topol @erictopol.bsky.social · 01/03/2025

Francis Collins, the NIH Director for 12 years, led the Human Genome Project and other NIH efforts for 32 years, resigned today. Key words from his resignation letter www.nytimes.com/2025/03/01/u...

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Jonathan Cohn @jonathancohn.bsky.social · 02/03/2025

The average American voter thinks that the government is too big but that it should spend more money on everything it does. This explains a decent share of the political chaos of this country.

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Reposted by Christopher LaRock

ᐯIᑕTOᖇ ᑎIᘔET, ᗰᗪ @nizet.bsky.social · 24/02/2025

To: Elon Musk/DOGE From: Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) Subject: Five Things I Accomplished Last Week (🧵) #1. Destroyed a previously normal heart valve in an otherwise healthy 58-year-old man

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Annika Barber @annikabarber.bsky.social · 24/02/2025

Wondering if your study section cancelled? I update this sheet daily. As of today, 56/124 study sections that should have met since Jan 2, 2025 have "not met as scheduled." docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

docs.google.com

2025 Study section tracking

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Dr. Michael D. L. Johnson @copperbae.bsky.social · 24/02/2025

Although we are not federally funded for this summer, WE WILL STILL RUN The National Summer Undergraduate Research Project (NSURP) in 2025. We remain committed to the work that needs to be done and will continue to meet people where they are. 1/4 nsurp.org

nsurp.org

NSURP.org

National Summer Undergraduate Research Project

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samuel mehr @mehr.nz · 21/02/2025

Universities show their true colors during crises so I'm proud to read that my US employer, Yale School of Medicine, is funding faculty whose labs have been hit by political meddling In addition to bridge funding I gather Yale lawyers are directly challenging anti-science actions in Washington

Email from Yale deans office February 20, 2025
To the YSM Community:

We are writing to follow-up on Dean Brown’s email (dated Feb. 9) regarding the Feb. 7 supplemental guidance from the NIH on the indirect cost rate. As most of you are aware, there are currently two temporary restraining orders in effect as this guidance is challenged in the courts. Similarly, there are multiple temporary restraining orders in effect, which have paused "stop-work" orders for funding in specific areas.

Thriving during times of uncertainty requires flexibility and creativity. Over the last few weeks, the Executive Group (chairs and deputy deans) of the school continue to develop contingency plans to address potential challenges ahead.

As part of this work, we have developed guidelines and a mechanism for bridge funding for any faculty member who receives a premature termination notice for an active grant due to a policy change. This bridge funding is intended to provide time for faculty members who do not have other sources of funding or have been recruited within the last three years to pivot their program.

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Jack Iwashyna @iwashyna.bsky.social · 20/02/2025

Over on LinkedIn, the head of the Executive Secretariat of the NIH -- a central part of NIH leadership 🧪🩺-- resigned with a lettter worth reading www.linkedin.com/posts/nathan...

February 18, 2024
TO:
Dr. Matthew Memoli, Acting Director, NIH
CC:
John Burklow, Chief of Staff, NIH
Julie Berko, Director, OHR, NIH
FROM:
Nathaniel James Brought, Director, ES, NIH
SUBJECT: Resignation
Dear Dr. Memoli,
On July 3, 2001, I stepped off a bus on Marine Corps Recruit Training Depot Perris Island. Scared out of my mind, I stood on a pair of freshly painted yellow footprints, raised my right hand, and recited the oath of enlistment:
I, Nathaniel James Brought, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.
For the last 23 years, 7 months, and 15 days, I like to believe I have faithfully carried out the duties of each office to which I've been appointed in my military and civilian service to this nation. That Service has taken me from the Marine Corps to 3 different federal departments, spanned 3 continents, included service in one war zone, and has included:
• For the Marine Corps and the National Security Agency, I worked on intelligence operations at the highest classification levels using bleeding edge intelligence tools to ensure America's special operators put boots-to-asses on America's enemies overseas (including commendations crediting my work for the kill or capture of dozens of terrorists), ensuring America's policy makers were able to track the movement of dangerous dual

nuclear technology across international borders, and monitored the flow of terrorist financing across the international banking system.
• Utilized information from all-source intelligence to ensure the continued security of America's homeland from international and domestic threats.
• Worked with some of the finest lawyers in the world to ensure America's security operations were effective, while upholding the rights of all those who interacted with them.
• Ensuring that America's rural communities had access to programs like rural development loans, farm aid, and that America's children wouldn't be hungry as they sat in their classrooms and tried to learn.
• Most recently, and frankly most dear to my heart, working with each of you here at the National Institutes of Health to advance the future of science and medicine. Not for Americans. Not for any one group of people. But for ALL of humanity.
I am unbelievably proud to be able to say that there are Americans who are alive, and terrorists who are not, because of the work I've done to serve this nation. I am proud to say that my service to this country has allowed me to ensure that my children have never faced the struggles of poverty that I grew up with. That service didn't begin because of some great altruistic impulse or drive. I didn't grow up saying "I want to do the great work that needs to be done to weave the fabric of America and ensure her people are not only safe, but healthy." Frankly, that service began because I was poor, and I was inspired. I grew up as a free lunch kid who lived in project housing. It was my fellow Americans who made sure I wasn't hungry in class and that I had enough food to excel academically the way I did. It was Americans who had more than we did that made sure I had good schools to attend where I could learn things that expanded my mind.
As I approached the end of high school, I dreamed of going to college and figuring out how to make a living that would allow me to do more tha…

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The American Association of Immunologists @aai.org · 15/02/2025

AAI is deeply concerned about the risk posed by a drastic reduction in the #NIH workforce. Disruptions of this magnitude could have serious consequences for life-saving research and training the next generation of scientists. Read AAI's full statement: news.aai.org/2025/02/15/s...

Graphic with image of the Capitol and text reading AAI Responds.

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ᐯIᑕTOᖇ ᑎIᘔET, ᗰᗪ @nizet.bsky.social · 15/02/2025

Microbiologists get it Healthy oceans, forests and grasslands thrive upon mutualistic symbioses among diverse tiny life forms A diversity of beneficial mirobiota in our guts is critical for our growth, metabolism, development, immunity, and neurological function Same can apply to human societies

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Jonathan Kagan @jkagan1.bsky.social · 08/02/2025

This is a list of blockbuster drugs in 2024. Guess how many can trace their origins to NIH funded research? All of them.

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Drug Monkey @drugmonkey.bsky.social · 07/02/2025

all y'all academics who have been naively convinced IDC only goes to useless sub deans are about to find out. they are going to claw the real costs of research out of your unchanged direct costs.

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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 07/02/2025

Special Bluetorial: The benefits of different life experiences The scientific community has folks with a very wide range of life experiences. We have a lot to learn from one another.

media.tenor.com

a cartoon says hey everybody an old man 's talking while bart simpson looks on

ALT: a cartoon says hey everybody an old man 's talking while bart simpson looks on

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Robinson Meyer @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social · 05/02/2025

Murkowski says call volume to the Senate is now 40x higher than normal:

A facebook post from Lisa Murkowski: I want to thank Alaskans who have been reaching out to my offices in D.C. and across Alaska. The U.S. Senate phone system has been receiving around 1,600 calls each minute, compared to the 40 calls per minute we usually receive, which has disrupted our call systems. Thank you for your patience as my staff works to review your messages and share them with me. We’re all working to get this issue resolved as quickly as possible.

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Mark Peifer (He, him) @peiferlabunc.bsky.social · 05/02/2025

Another crazed change from the Trump Administration: removing the NIH No-cost extension form

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AZ Faust @azfaust.bsky.social · 04/02/2025

This a funding myth. There are no untapped wells of charity money that can support the kind of research biomedical scientists need to perform today. Most foundation grants are in 25 to 75K/year range, many are on the order of 1-3 years, and in spite of this, are highly competitive.

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BWJones @bwjones.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

See that gap between the United States of America and those other countries? That gap… that gulf… That’s profit. Profit at the expense of health.

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ASM @asm.org · 03/02/2025

ASM has received questions about content on our site being under review—thank you to those who reached out. "Under review" never meant removal, despite understandable concerns to the contrary. Most modified pages have been or are in the process of being restored. Read our statement: asm.social/2h3

asm.social

ASM Responds to Member Questions About Executive Orders

Our modified pages are back up or in the process of being restored. ASM has not retracted or altered any research articles, scientific papers or peer reviewed articles on our website.

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Lauren Bauer @laurenhlb.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

New and important: we built a federal expenditure tracker. All expenditure line items that are available on the Daily Treasury Statement. USAID was zeroed out on 1/28 and has been at zero ever since. www.hamiltonproject.org/data/trackin... #EconSky

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Drug Monkey @drugmonkey.bsky.social · 01/02/2025

Did anyone at NIH really think deleting “Diversity” from the title, while leaving the rest of the FOA text on the purpose intact, was going to save this? It’s still live so maybe so. grants.nih.gov/grants/guide...

grants.nih.gov

PA-25-249: NIAID, NIDDK, NIDA, and NIAAA Research Opportunities for New and "At-Risk" Investigators (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)

NIH Funding Opportunities and Notices in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts: NIAID, NIDDK, NIDA, and NIAAA Research Opportunities for New and

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The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 28/01/2025

Breaking news: The White House budget office is ordering a pause to all grants and loans disbursed by the federal government, according to an internal memo sent to agencies Monday, creating significant confusion across Washington.

washingtonpost.com

White House pauses all federal grants, sparking confusion

The Trump administration has put a hold on all federal financial grants and loans, affecting tens of billions of dollars in payments.

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Margaret Crane, PhD @margaretcrane.bsky.social · 24/01/2025

And the funding announcement for diversity supplements now has been updated to expire today. Supplements are so important to the careers of junior scientists. This is crushing for post docs and early career faculty grants.nih.gov/grants/guide...

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Ilan Schwartz @germhuntermd.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

IDSA journals launch Reviewer Recognition & Rewards program Reviewers of 3+ papers in 1 IDSA journal in a yr get waived page charges in CID/JID, or 20% discount on OA fees Top 3 reviewers (per J) get “Reviewer of the Year” distinction & IDWeek registration academic.oup.com/idsa/pages/i... #IDSky

Rewards for Frequent Reviewers
All reviewers who complete at least three reviews of appropriate quality and timeliness for one IDSA journal in a calendar year will be rewarded the following calendar year with their choice of either free page charges in CID or JID, or a 20% discount on open access fees in any IDSA journal. These rewards can be claimed with any IDSA journal, not just the journal where the reviews were performed.
In addition, we are including our top 100 most frequent reviewers from 2020-2023 for the launch of this rewards program as a small way to thank the ID community for all of the time and energy they poured into review for the IDSA journals during the height of the COVID pandemic.

Recognition for Top Reviewers
Each journal will recognize its best reviewers, selected based on number of reviews completed, timeliness and review quality, with recognition letters each quarter.
In addition, the top three reviewers from each journal will be recognized with a "Reviewer of the Year" award. Our Reviewers of the Year will receive paid registration to IDWeek and will be invited to attend the IDSA Editor's Reception at IDWeek, in addition to recognition in the MyIDSA Community, IDSA News, our journal social media channels, and elsewhere.

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Alex Sundermann, DrPH @sundermannaj.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

Just notified that the 2025 Presidential Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria (PACCARB) meeting was cancelled as a result of this. Valuable meeting on antimicrobial resistance & such a disappointment this is cancelled. #IDSky #EpiSky PACCARB: www.hhs.gov/ash/advisory...

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Vaughn Cooper @vscooper.micropopbio.org · 22/01/2025

Please tell your representative: 1) I'm not just a teacher in your district, I'm essentially an entrepreneur running a small business. 2) I employ XX people at good wages, ranging from $Y-Z. 3) Blocking the operation of the NIH prevents this and damages our local economy

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Drug Monkey @drugmonkey.bsky.social · 09/01/2025

grants.nih.gov/grants-proce....

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ᐯIᑕTOᖇ ᑎIᘔET, ᗰᗪ @nizet.bsky.social · 18/12/2024

Celebrities and their Bacterial Infections, Episode 1 David Bowie’s Strep Throats

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