iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Steve Pennings @stevenpennings.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

If you use AI in your research, don't be surprised if the AI publishes first using your data.

profarn.bsky.social @profarn.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Leaders in the AI industry could do that now! People would feel safer and probably AI tools would be used in a responsible way—as tools—for the benefit of society.

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profarn.bsky.social @profarn.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

FIRST: there was a moratorium on further rDNA experiments. (Imagine!) THEN: In 1975, a couple hundred scientists and non scientists met in Asylomar, CA and came up with a plan for SAFEGUARDS and policies to make sure the benefits of the new tech were realized while AVOIDING the potential perils.

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profarn.bsky.social @profarn.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

potentially altering organisms in ways that could be devastating to life on earth. What happened? Because rDNA is now the basis for all of the biotech industry, so many medical treatments, and a deeper understanding of biology.

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profarn.bsky.social @profarn.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Re the perils of AI: we can learn from a previous moment in history. In the early 1970’s, recombinant DNA technology was invented. At the time, scientists were very concerned about the potential benefits but also about the potential hazards. And the potential hazards were SIGNIFICANT:

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MDI Biological Laboratory @mdibl.org · 15/07/2026

Registration now open! 2026 African Turquoise Killifish Conference, October 1–3 A 3-day #conference aimed to serve as a hub for all those dedicated and interested in #killifish, and to provide an opportunity for researchers of different fields to collaborate and network. ow.ly/bvYe50Zl4jN

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Barbara Mellone 🇺🇦 @centromellone.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

America's R1 universities educate ~8–9 million students (undergraduate + graduate) -> more than 1/3 of U.S. college students (vs. the ~0.6% of Ivies). Undermining this system threatens the institutions that train our workforce and drive scientific innovation. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

science.org

An American research crisis with real human consequences

Ivy League universities have dominated recent news headlines, having become popular targets for critics of higher education. But the threats they face—cuts to federal research funding, assaults on aca...

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profarn.bsky.social @profarn.bsky.social · 18/07/2025

Hey, organized are great. But they cannot replace animal models. Organoids need to be validated against animal models.

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Alt NIH Bluesky 🧪 @altnih4science.bsky.social · 13/07/2025

Academics and scientists take note: We are in the fight of our lives for education and freedom. Penn and UVA are losing that fight, in part because faculty were not unified behind their leaders. The fight for science is the fight for universities. They are the same. 🧪

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profarn.bsky.social @profarn.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

Cutting all the budgets for these organizations will tear apart this amazing thing that we have in the U.S. What a disgrace.

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profarn.bsky.social @profarn.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

No immediate payback or payoff was expected, but the impact of all this affects all of us now: the U.S. has been at the forefront of so many technical advances in medicine and beyond, it’s incredible.

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profarn.bsky.social @profarn.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

V. Bush wrote a lengthy response that outlined several things, and the effects of this were the formation of the NSF to fund non-biomedical research and train scientists and the buildup of the NIH and its funding of research activities across the country.

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profarn.bsky.social @profarn.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

The recommendations were asked for with the knowledge that investing in research has enormous benefits for jobs, for training, for medicine and for the economy.

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profarn.bsky.social @profarn.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

1. how to communicate scientific progress made during the war, 2. what can be done to push progress in medicine and fighting disease, 3. what can government do to support and push research by public and private organizations, 4. can a program be made to develop scientific talent in the U.S.

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profarn.bsky.social @profarn.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

Towards the end of the war, FDR wrote a letter to V. Bush that was of great consequence, instructing him to provide recommendations on four points

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profarn.bsky.social @profarn.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

The director of the OSRD was a man named Vannevar Bush, who was himself an engineer, inventor and academic.

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profarn.bsky.social @profarn.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

The reason for our incredible capabilities goes back to 1944. During World War II, the scientific effort in the U.S. for the war was coordinated by the Office of Scientific Research and Development, the OSRD.

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profarn.bsky.social @profarn.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

The reason for that is the strength of our university systems and research infrastructure, or at least it has been. it’s also not random that we in the U.S. have been privileged to have this.

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profarn.bsky.social @profarn.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

Happy Independence Day! Today has me thinking about one of the things that has made the United States such a leader in the world: public investment in education and research. The U.S. has the greatest scientific capabilities and infrastructure, hands down.

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profarn.bsky.social @profarn.bsky.social · 14/06/2025

Thousands upon thousands here in #houston for #nokings! What a peaceful expression of disagreement with everything that is great about our country being torn apart!

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Kelly @broadwaybabyto.bsky.social · 27/05/2025

“A CDC report found that among pregnant U.S. women infected with COVID-19, about 1 in 80 deliveries was a stillbirth — the loss of a fetus anytime after 20 weeks. That’s compared with 1 in 155 among uninfected women” Pregnant women need access to Covid boosters. TW for photos of Covid placenta:

apnews.com

Coronavirus can destroy the placenta and lead to stillbirths

New research suggests the coronavirus can invade and destroy the placenta and lead to stillbirths in infected women.

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E. Rosalie @erosalie.infoepi.com · 03/04/2025

It’s wild watching every advanced agency developed during my lifetime be destroyed on purpose, by people who want to profit from it and cheered on by those who will be hurt the most because they don't understand how things work.

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Scott Delaney @scott-delaney.bsky.social · 19/05/2025

Grant freezes versus terminations feel different, but they have the same practical effect. We should start treating freezes as terminations, both of which can be undone by HHS / NIH whenever they want—or by court order if they refuse. They’re all illegal.

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Brittany Charlton @britshmit.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

Let's stay hopeful & vigilant! 🌟 Pursuing truth unites us 🔍✨ Embracing diverse ideas in science ensures a healthier future for all! 🌈💡 19/

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Brittany Charlton @britshmit.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

The termination of NIH grants threatens scientific freedom & could erase entire research fields for political reasons When research is stifled by political rhetoric, every American suffers 15/

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profarn.bsky.social @profarn.bsky.social · 31/03/2025

Happy international day of transgender visibility. May everyone one day be able to live as their authentic selves wither fear or shame. Except Nazis.

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BK. Titanji @boghuma.bsky.social · 23/03/2025

99.4% of new drugs approved by the FDA are the product of NIH funded research. Remember this every time you see another headline on the NIH funding cuts. It will directly impact YOU. #ScienceNOTSilence

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Stand Up for Science! @standupforscience.net · 22/03/2025

Unfortunately, there was another round of FUNDED grants cancelled yesterday. These illegal cuts stop projects that have been in progress for years, interrupt lifesaving research, and destroy the public good of science in the US. If you were impacted, please share you story with us: fedfreeze.org

fedfreeze.org

FedFreeze.org

Fight Trump's funding freeze to protect lifesaving care and research.

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Mark Cuban @mcuban.bsky.social · 22/03/2025

From 2010 to 2016 (latest data I have ), NIH research contributed to EVERY drug approved by the FDA

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profarn.bsky.social @profarn.bsky.social · 18/03/2025

Oh, and unelected a-holes don’t destroy it.

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profarn.bsky.social @profarn.bsky.social · 17/03/2025

Research infrastructure, federal funding for science and our university systems are uniquely powerful things about our country. Politicians, please don’t destroy it.

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James Talarico @jamestalarico.bsky.social · 06/03/2025

You can't use the parks budget to redo your backyard. You can't use the highway budget to repave your driveway. You can't use the police budget to hire a personal security guard. And rich people can't use our public school budget to pay for private school. Say no to vouchers.

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profarn.bsky.social @profarn.bsky.social · 25/02/2025

I hope others will join in this. I am afraid there are way too many people who don’t understand how critical to our country strong federal funding for science is. How much depends on it. It is huge, and it is extraordinary.

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Stand Up for Science! @standupforscience.net · 12/02/2025

Welcome to the Bluesky account for Stand Up for Science 2025! Keep an eye on this space for updates, event information, and ways to get involved. We can't wait to see everyone #standupforscience2025 on March 7th, both in DC and locations nationwide! #scienceforall #sciencenotsilence

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James Talarico @jamestalarico.bsky.social · 21/02/2025

Greg Abbott calls his voucher scam “school choice.” But we already have school choice—neighborhood schools, charters, magnets, academies & more. Vouchers don’t give us choice. Vouchers give our tax dollars to unaccountable private schools that can discriminate against our kids.

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Lawrence Vulis @lvulis.bsky.social · 20/02/2025

From NSF EAR program director Raleigh Martin on LinkedIn #climatesky #greensky

Yesterday, my federal agency (NSF) experienced a sudden and mass firing of over 10% of our workforce. My own Division lost 20% of its staff. In the blink of an eye, we lost many brilliant scientists, dedicated civil servants, and parents/spouses/caregivers who no longer have a paycheck. The firing was completely arbitrary, with no actual plan to achieve "efficiency" but instead just picking off anyone with the fewest job protections. I grieve for my former colleagues and extend my hand to be of help however I can.

I still have a job - not based on my abilities but simply because my status makes me harder to fire. But who knows what comes next. I'm hoping this assault on science and government is just a passing storm, but even then the damage has already been devastating - careers broken, research disrupted, and resources wasted.

Science is the goose that lays golden eggs - unleashing human ingenuity and systematic thinking toward discoveries that transform our society for the better. Public science funding creates space for research that may not have immediate applications but will yield dividends down the road. Unfortunately, right now the science goose is being strangled and those golden eggs are being lost. Our society will be poorer, sicker, and weaker as a result.

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Alt NIH Bluesky 🧪 @altnih4science.bsky.social · 21/02/2025

This is a five-alarm fire 🔥 for US science 🧪. (We keep saying that, but it keeps being true 😭.) Trump and Musk are blocking *ALL* NIH grants ‼️ by "exploiting a loophole in the process"—stopping study sections & council meetings. Every biomedical researcher in the country should be screaming. 1/

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Donna Stern @dvsmemphis.bsky.social · 21/02/2025

In TN alone: NIH Funding: $770m Jobs Supported: 9,362 Economic Activity Supported: $1.99b

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Alt NIH Bluesky 🧪 @altnih4science.bsky.social · 16/02/2025

Got word that several NIH employees in a group working on cancer clinical trials got terminated via email this evening. “The [cancer research] trials will literally not be able to function without us.” Trump and Musk are killing cancer research. 🧪

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Katie Sandlin @kmsandlin.bsky.social · 14/02/2025

I maxed out my credit card, emptied my savings account, and took out a loan to move from Alabama to Bethesda, MD. I don’t even qualify for unemployment since I’ve only worked at NIH for a month. I will be financially and medically devastated. Seeking suggestions for anywhere that’s hiring!!

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Liz Haswell @ehaswell.bsky.social · 12/02/2025

🧪 #PlantScience Ted Cruz posted a list of "woke DEI" NSF grants, which included many REU programs. REU = Research Experience for Undergraduates. A 🧵 thread of sadness: www.commerce.senate.gov/2025/2/cruz-...

commerce.senate.gov

Cruz-Led Investigation Uncovers $2 Billion in Woke DEI Grants at NSF, Releases Full Database

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Mark Peifer (He, him) @peiferlabunc.bsky.social · 11/02/2025

Thanks to @ibogost.bsky.social for covering the impact of Elon Musk's war on science, with a focus on the role of indirect cots in supporting biomedical research at universities www.theatlantic.com/health/archi...

theatlantic.com

A New Kind of Crisis for American Universities

The ivory tower has been breached.

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Alessandro Rigolon @alerigolon.bsky.social · 10/02/2025

I was just told that I have to remove “climate” from the title of an ongoing grant if I want to keep it. And publications from that grant cannot include “climate” and other forbidden words. I can’t believe I’m writing this from the United States of America. #AcademicSky

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