Exclusive: Key US infectious-diseases centre to drop pandemic preparation

Staff members have been instructed to scrub this topic and ‘biodefense’ from the agency’s website.

go.nature.com

Synchronization of women’s menstruation with the Moon has decreased but remains detectable when gravitational pull is strong

In modern times, menstrual cycles run in synchrony with the Moon only during Perihelion and Minor Lunar Standstills.

scim.ag

US serial killer case opens door to using cutting-edge DNA data in courts

New York trial could set a legal precedent by admitting findings from whole-genome sequencing as evidence.

go.nature.com

Bay Area Earthquake Was Near Fault That’s Overdue for Intense Quake

A magnitude 4.3 earthquake near Berkeley jolted many in the Bay Area awake early Monday morning. It originated close to the Hayward Fault.

dlvr.it

Will the public support basic science? A new non-profit aims to find out

The Science Foundation seeks donations to fund ten $10,000 ‘what if’ seed grants.

nature.com

Peter Thiel Antichrist lecture: We asked guests what the hell it is

We didn’t get a ticket to see Peter Thiel talk, but we did speak with attendees about what the hell happened.

sfstandard.com

Can Fighting Racism Help Prevent Alzheimer’s? Scientists Think So

Black Americans face a significantly higher risk of Alzheimer’s and other dementias than white Americans. Researchers are working to find out why that is and how to intervene

scientificamerican.com

Microbes Also Change the Climate. Could That Help Us? | Quanta Magazine

A collection of short dispatches from the field of climate microbiology conveys the contributions that single-celled life forms make to our climate system, and how we can work with them to address cli...

quantamagazine.org

‘It Just Felt Like the World Was Burning’: Remembering the 2020 Fires

As we mark five years since the sky turned orange, we’re bringing you stories from people who lived through the 2020 fires, in their own words.

dlvr.it

Chemists cram record nine metals into trendy 2D material

MXenes, distant cousins of graphene, reach new heights of complexity — opening the way for use in advanced batteries and more.

go.nature.com

The White House Is Its Own Media Outlet

The Trump administration is publishing articles that are top-ranked on Google News.

cjr.org

Blood of man who’s had 200 snake bites helps make a potent antivenom

Treatment combines existing drug with antibodies from hyper-immune reptile collector, raising both hopes and ethical concerns.

go.nature.com

National Association of Science Writers - ScienceWriters2025 Session Proposals

Submit an NASW session proposal  (No speaker commitments needed at this stage!) Each year, member volunteers with the NASW Programs Committee work hard to develop a slate of professional development sessions that reflects the broad and varied interests of our membership. The chosen sessions directly reflect the depth, breadth, and quality of proposals received. Topics and Audience We rely on your efforts to ensure a diversity of topics so that all members — educators, journalists, public information officers, staffers, freelancers, students, writers, editors, broadcasters, podcasters, early career, late career, first-time registrants, and frequent attendees — can find something, and ideally many things, to pique their interest. Sessions can be targeted at a specific experience level (e.g., a master class or a workshop for beginners); a specific job role (e.g., investigative journalists, multimedia producers, institutional writers, newsroom leaders, fact checkers ); a specific type of writing or practice area (e.g., narratives, infographics, news writing, video/radio scripts); or they can be creatively designed in such a way as to be more broadly applicable to the larger mission and shared interests of all NASW members. Format We encourage applicants to consider different session formats (e.g. multi-person panel; interactive breakouts) and any needs/limitations for audio/visual technology and accessibility. Please also consider whether you are open to leading your session either for the November in person program or the October virtual program. (For an idea of previous session offerings, visit the archived programs at www.sciencewritersmeeting.org) Speakers In addition to encouraging diversity in topics, the Programs Committee seeks a wide range of voices on the program. While we realize that applicants may not be able to confirm panelists before a proposal has been accepted, proposals should demonstrate that thought has been given toward identifying potential speakers — with the following guidelines in mind to support a diverse and inclusive conference: As a general rule, speakers should appear in only one session at the conference. (The Programs Committee will alert organizers if the same speaker has been identified for different sessions.) We strongly encourage proposals that include speakers who have not participated in recent sessions. We aim to create a program whose participants are diverse in multiple facets. Any proposed sessions should include speakers from underrepresented groups and showcase diversity in job roles (both within and outside the field of science writing) and geographic location (both within and outside the U.S.). Any proposed session with a panel that lacks diversity considerations will receive a lower score and be less likely to be picked. Limited funding is available for speaker travel and such funding is intended to attract those who would not otherwise attend the meeting. Limited travel funding is also available for session organizers where there is financial need. The Experience Organizing a workshop can be a fun and valuable experience that connects you with science writers and experts in other fields. You don't need to be an expert yourself, although you are welcome to include yourself as a speaker in any proposals.. Successful proposals will be notified by mid May. Details of the session and confirmed speaker list will be due in late June. Organizers and speakers receive complimentary registration to the meeting.

nasw.submittable.com

Exclusive: Trump team freezes new NSF awards — and could soon axe hundreds of grants

The National Science Foundation is the latest US agency to be disrupted by Elon Musk’s DOGE.

nature.com

Why women experience Alzheimer’s disease differently from men

Sex and gender research could lead to better, more equitable treatments — if it is allowed to continue without political interference.

nature.com

Exclusive: Trump White House directs NIH to study ‘regret’ after transgender people transition

After cancelling nearly all NIH projects studying transgender health, Trump’s team instructs the US biomedical agency to study negative consequences of transitioning.

nature.com

Search LibGen, the Pirated-Books Database That Meta Used to Train AI

Millions of books and scientific papers are captured in the collection’s current iteration.

theatlantic.com

Move over graphene! Scientists forge bismuthene and host of atoms-thick metals

Tiny anvil squeezes metal atoms into super-thin sheets with strange properties.

nature.com