Reposted by Liz HighleymanSarah Taber @sarahtaber.bsky.social · 04/10/2026Hot take: I don't think social media made people dumber. We've been dumb this whole time. It's just that you used to have to have a job that people sent their dumb letters to, to notice. This made "Engaging with fools" an occupational hazard rather than the 24/7 experience it is presently. 602361421
Liz Highleyman @lizhighleyman.bsky.social · 03/10/2026I haven’t seen any coverage yet in the big mainstream newspapers that usually do health & science reporting… www.newsweek.com/suspected-pl...newsweek.comSuspected Plague Death at Russian Lab Sparks ‘Anti-Epidemic’ Lockdown 293
Liz Highleyman @lizhighleyman.bsky.social · 03/10/2026Many lifetime survivors, who were born with HIV, are now young adults. Perinatal transmission is rare in the US today (<100 cases/year) thanks to maternal treatment. I’m still sore about some AIDS activists opposing studies of AZT to prevent mother-to-child transmission in the early ‘90s. 192
Reposted by Liz HighleymanWilliam Gillis 🏴 @rechelon.bsky.social · 02/10/2026I believe with near perfect credence that teddy bears are not morally relevant agents, *nevertheless* I think it's good that we frown on and recoil viscerally from those who attempt to torture teddy bears, because of what such behavior signals and habituates. 4428
Reposted by Liz HighleymanDhruv Mehrotra @dmehro.bsky.social · 02/10/2026NEW: DHS agents tracked people observing ICE arrests, photographed them, ran their plates, pulled personal information, and added them to a Palantir database, according to newly unsealed court filings. w/ @regret.bsky.socialwired.comICE Has Been Dumping Protester Photos Into a Palantir DatabaseDHS agents not only tracked and intimidated people observing ICE activity in Maine, but stored information about them in a Palantir-built database, newly unsealed court filings say. 12629731773
Liz Highleyman @lizhighleyman.bsky.social · 03/10/2026It’s depressing that people think we need to mandate tedious make-work jobs to keep workers from becoming destitute. I’d rather people were paid to do nothing vs making daily life more difficult.😡 www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/g...sfchronicle.comNew S.F. plan could limit self-checkout. Grocers warn of longer lines, higher pricesGrocery stores are pushing back against the proposed restrictions, which they say could turn shoppers away, limit their ability to use self checkout lanes or even raise food prices. 140
Liz Highleyman @lizhighleyman.bsky.social · 02/10/2026Good sense from Paul Sax. I also don’t think most healthy seniors need two COVID vaccines every year. voices.nejm.org/doi/full/10.... 010
Liz Highleyman @lizhighleyman.bsky.social · 02/10/2026The Oct-Nov issue of @pozmagazine.bsky.social is out this week. Featuring my interview with Jose M. Zuniga about his new book, Aftershocks & how to fight threats to public health & the HIV response both domestically and globally. www.poz.com/article/bett...poz.comOur Better AngelsJosé M. Zuniga’s new book looks at threats to public health and the HIV response domestically and globally. 020
Reposted by Liz HighleymanPBS News @pbsnews.org · 02/10/2026Hurricane Rachel has been upgraded to a Category 3 storm off Mexico's Pacific coast. On Wednesday night, the U.S. Embassy in Mexico warned U.S. citizens in Cabos San Lucas, a popular vacation destination for Americans, of beach and port closures and deadly rip currents. to.pbs.org/4zfKjJgpbs.orgLIVE MAP: Track the path of Hurricane RachelHurricane Rachel has been upgraded to a Category 3 storm off Mexico's Pacific coast as northern Mexico and parts of the U.S. Southwest were reeling from flooding and damage from the remnants of Hurricane Polo earlier this week. 15215
Reposted by Liz HighleymanThe Intercept @theintercept.com · 30/09/2026The Intercept is suing for critical records in the Prairieland “antifa” terrorism case that has seen anti-ICE activists hit with prison sentences totaling over 560 years. Can you chip in $5 by midnight to help us uncover the truth? buff.ly/0yHib2hbuff.lyBecome a Member of The InterceptProtecting freedom of the press has never been more important. Support The Intercept’s independent journalism by becoming a member today. 01717
Liz Highleyman @lizhighleyman.bsky.social · 01/10/2026An estimated 2.3 cancer cases worldwide—or 1 in 8—are attributable to infections, according to study results published in The Lancet Oncology. Fortunately, infection-related malignancies are largely preventable through vaccination and treatment of underlying diseases.cancerhealth.com1 in 8 Cancer Cases Worldwide Are Due to InfectionsMost of the more than 2 million cases were attributable to Helicobacter pylori, human papillomavirus, HBV and hepatitis B and C. 032
Reposted by Liz HighleymanBrian Goldstone @brian-goldstone.bsky.social · 22/09/2026There is something so unbelievably bleak about an article that calmly walks readers through how to navigate being laid off after 50, losing your health insurance, and somehow surviving the years until Medicare. What a broken country.nytimes.comLaid Off After 50, and No Health Insurance? Here’s What to Consider. (Gift Article)At best, older workers will struggle to find health insurance that bridges the years before they qualify for Medicare at age 65. 762476762
Liz Highleyman @lizhighleyman.bsky.social · 30/09/2026People were upset when the government tried to position AIDS as an equal-opportunity disease in the 1980s. They’re at it again with an HIV plan that doesn’t mention the key populations at higher risk, incl gay men, trans women, Black & Latino people, sex workers, PWID, homeless. What’s the point? 52611
Liz Highleyman @lizhighleyman.bsky.social · 30/09/2026Never mind artificial intelligence -- let's recognize the intelligence of fellow living creatures. "Accounts described elephants selecting particular plants when they seemed unwell, and mothers reportedly giving medicinal plant material to their calves." www.bbc.com/news/article...bbc.comElephants treat themselves with medicinal plants, witnesses sayAfrican elephants use dozens of different medicinal plants to treat themselves and their families when they are sick, research reveals. 13716
Liz Highleyman @lizhighleyman.bsky.social · 30/09/2026Artificial intelligence as it exists now & potential super intelligence are different things. We might not want laws & policies written for one to apply to the other. I suppose the tech moguls’ plan is to humor Trump in public & ignore his dictates in their everyday work. 010
Liz Highleyman @lizhighleyman.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Wow, that's quite an impressive line up of hurricanes & tropical storms in the Pacific, coupled with a rare lull in the Atlantic. zoom.earth 000
Reposted by Liz HighleymanIAC - the International AIDS Conference @aidsconference.bsky.social · 24/09/2026📣 #AIDS2026 content is now freely available on #IASPlus! Explore over 1,700 resources from the 26th International AIDS Conference, including conference sessions & e-posters. 📲 Dive into the research, insights & discussions from AIDS2026: plus.iasociety.org/search/resources… 146
Reposted by Liz HighleymanAlejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 27/09/2026Researchers at Stanford loaded GPT-6 Astra into a humanoid robot. It explored its environment and built spatial context to navigate it to accomplish tasks. These aren't just hallucinating chatbots anymore. 5027261
Liz Highleyman @lizhighleyman.bsky.social · 26/09/2026The lesbian bar COVID mask controversy has gone the way of the Jason Arday discourse, morphing into a prolonged, out-of-proportion pile-on that’s now little more than engagement bait & a culture war battle. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/09/22/m...bostonglobe.comA Western Mass. lesbian bar required KN-95 masks. When it changed the rules, all hell broke loose. - The Boston GlobeLast Ditch Bar in Greenfield wanted to build community. They got a firestorm instead. 220
Reposted by Liz HighleymanMyRadar @myradar.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Hurricane Polo is back to 180 mph Category 5 strength. It’s likely going to hit the Baja Peninsula on Monday as a Category 1-2. Senior meteorologist @matthewcappucci.bsky.social has an update. myradar.com/videos/6798myradar.comPolo to Hit Baja PeninsulaHurricane Polo is back to 180 mph Category 5 strength. It’s likely going to hit the Baja Peninsula on Monday as a Category 1-2. Senior meteorologist Matthew Cappucci has an update. 082
Liz Highleyman @lizhighleyman.bsky.social · 25/09/2026My rescued beagles -- & the many others still in laboratories & breeding facilities like Marshall BioResources -- definitely feel, want & understand. As do animals in factory farms. This kind of attitude is what justifies animal cruelty. Human slavery, too. 000
Liz Highleyman @lizhighleyman.bsky.social · 25/09/2026New HIV diagnoses in SF fell by 8% last year, from 148 to 136 cases, reversing a small uptick seen in 2024, according to the latest HIV epidemiology annual report from SF DPH. @bayareareporter.bsky.social www.ebar.com/story/170572/ebar.comHIV cases in SF fall 8%, resume their downward trendNew HIV diagnoses in San Francisco fell by 8% last year, from 148 to 136 cases, reversing a small uptick seen in 2024, according to the latest HIV epidemiology annual report from the city’s Department... 043
Liz Highleyman @lizhighleyman.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Algorithms, man…AI safety sex cult has overtaken lesbian bar COVID masking discourse in my feed. (Original blog post taken down by author, but easy enough to find. Once something goes out on the open internet, there’s no calling it back.) 110
Liz Highleyman @lizhighleyman.bsky.social · 24/09/2026Not being in the official FDA indication based on clinical trials done to date =/= no medical reason. Stopping relentless food noise is a reason, just like drugs that suppression opioid cravings to treat addiction.nytimes.comMany Americans Use GLP-1 Drugs Without a Medical Reason, Study ShowsA new study identified more than 1 million people taking weight-loss drugs without any apparent medical reason to do so. 030
Liz Highleyman @lizhighleyman.bsky.social · 23/09/2026LLMs are language models, but what machine learning really excels at is crunching huge amounts of data to find patterns. 120
Liz Highleyman @lizhighleyman.bsky.social · 23/09/2026This attempt at political control of NIH funding got a lot of pushback. Keep it up. www.semafor.com/article/09/2...semafor.comExclusive: Trump administration backing off NIH grant order amid pushbackThe proposal, which would have given President Donald Trump greater influence over health grant decisionmaking, could still advance in a new form. 011
Reposted by Liz HighleymanBrian Stelter @brianstelter.bsky.social · 23/09/2026In NYT v. United States, the landmark 1971 fight over the Pentagon Papers, Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black wrote that “the word ‘security’ is a broad, vague generality whose contours should not be invoked to abrogate the fundamental law embodied in the First Amendment.” 38517
Liz Highleyman @lizhighleyman.bsky.social · 22/09/2026As an independent contractor in my early 60s, my ACA premium went up to $1500/month. My “health plan” is generic HRT, a compounded GLP-1, workouts & 🤞until Medicare eligibility. I live in dread of losing my home to medical bankruptcy. 133
Reposted by Liz HighleymanKyle Griffin @kylegriffin1.bsky.social · 22/09/2026BREAKING WaPo: JD Vance and admin officials are set to announce that they're removing hundreds of thousands of people from Affordable Care Act coverage — claiming that they were fraudulently enrolled in the program, according to three people with knowledge of the forthcoming announcement.washingtonpost.comTrump officials plan to cut hundreds of thousands from ACA, claiming fraudVance targeted ACA enrollment as part of a broader administration crackdown on suspected fraud. 2371294818
Reposted by Liz HighleymanDennis Mersereau 🛰️ @wxdam.com · 22/09/2026Hurricane Polo rapidly intensified from a 65 mph tropical storm to a 160 mph Category 5 hurricane in just 21 hours. 39330
Liz Highleyman @lizhighleyman.bsky.social · 22/09/2026🤦♀️ This goes beyond his performative obsession with place names & has real ramifications. If laws & EOs refer to “super intelligence” (whatever he thinks that is), they won’t apply to the garden-variety AI we have today. 000
Reposted by Liz HighleymanFaine Greenwood @faineg.com · 22/09/2026Normal, non-big-tech affiliated, non-effective altruist funded organizations working on ethical tech have been absolutely financially *devastated* in the last few years, thanks to both Trump and Big Tech deciding it no longer needs to pretend to care about ethics. 4527110
Liz Highleyman @lizhighleyman.bsky.social · 22/09/2026Meanwhile, the Atlantic hasn't had any hurricanes yet this year in late September. I don't think that's happened in my lifetime. 010
Liz Highleyman @lizhighleyman.bsky.social · 21/09/2026The benefits of universal health coverage outweigh the drawbacks, but Americans need to understand that doesn't mean everyone will get everything they want all the time. Given the availability of cheap generic PrEP, the UK has decided twice-yearly lenacapavir at $14K per shot is not cost-effective.i-base.infoNICE fails to approve lenacapavir for HIV PrEP: will feedback lead to the right outcome in November? | HIV i-Base 120
Liz Highleyman @lizhighleyman.bsky.social · 21/09/2026Chronic hepatitis B specifically. Chronic hepatitis C can now be much more easily cured with a short course of well-tolerated antiviral drugs. 0104
Reposted by Liz HighleymanArs Technica @arstechnica.com · 21/09/2026arstechnica.comTrump planning to hand veto power over NIH grants to political appointeePending move comes over the objections of the NIH director. 95525
Liz Highleyman @lizhighleyman.bsky.social · 21/09/2026The only thing that gets to Trump is not getting the attention he craves. 021
Reposted by Liz HighleymanProf Peter Hotez MD PhD DSc(hon) @peterhotezmdphd.bsky.social · 20/09/2026 215967
Liz Highleyman @lizhighleyman.bsky.social · 20/09/2026I think it’s more about steering research funding away from his perceived enemies. 051
Liz Highleyman @lizhighleyman.bsky.social · 20/09/2026Sounds like Jay Bhattacharya maybe got more than he bargained for throwing in with the right… 110
Reposted by Liz HighleymanThe Washington Sun @washingtonsun.com · 19/09/2026In a departure from the norm, RFK Jr. has picked specialists to serve on the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which helps decide screenings people should get from their primary care doctor.washingtonsun.comRFK Jr. Reshapes Another Crucial Public Health Task ForceIn a departure from the norm, Kennedy has picked specialists to serve on the preventative services panel, which helps decide screenings people should get from their primary care doctor. 33112
Reposted by Liz HighleymanPeter Maybarduk @maybarduk.bsky.social · 19/09/2026We obtained Trump’s confidential drug pricing deals with Pfizer & Lilly via FOIA litigation. The texts are heavily redacted, making it impossible to verify some of Trump's claims. But unredacted text shows Trump exaggerated his drug pricing achievements, which expire anyway at the end of his term. 112863
Reposted by Liz HighleymanWilliam Gillis 🏴 @rechelon.bsky.social · 19/09/2026I generally focus my attention on intra-anarchist theoretical disputes, but posting on Bluesky will send hordes of liberal sealions into your mentions. So I wrote a thing for them on the unique speech constraints anarchists face in political "debate": humaniterations.net/2026/09/19/a...humaniterations.netAsymmetric Speech Constraints Around AnarchismAny minority position faces an uphill battle at persuasion. 814142
Reposted by Liz HighleymanDan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 19/09/2026New: Officials battled over NIH in the Oval Office today, per people familiar. RUSS VOUGHT criticized NIH "woke" spending and floated executive order to review its grants. JAY BHATTACHARYA defended NIH's alignment with Trump. TRUMP appeared to side with Vought. with @rbeggin.bsky.socialwashingtonpost.comVought pushes for scrutiny of NIH grants in Oval Office clashA heated debate took place in the Oval Office on Friday, with some Trump officials accusing the National Institutes of Health of funding grants that conflict with the president’s agenda. 1512993
Reposted by Liz HighleymanRobert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 18/09/202625 years ago today, George W. Bush signed the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force into law. Barbara Lee was the only member of Congress to vote against it, warning it would be a blank check for forever wars. History has proven her lonely and courageous vote right. 310146474675
Liz Highleyman @lizhighleyman.bsky.social · 19/09/2026Follow @shayan86.bsky.social for good tips on detecting AI-generated images. 020