Esther Landhuis
@elandhuis.bsky.social
Science & health journalist (www.estherlandhuis.com), college mom, drummer. San Francisco Bay Area
4pm Saturday in Corvallis! #SciWri26
Carmen Drahl@carmendrahl.bsky.social · last mo.Caregivers of kids and adults: At @sciencewriters.org #SciWri26 come listen to @kellydchandler.bsky.social of @oregonstate.edu talk work-family integration. I'll be there with @sarahderouin.com @elandhuis.bsky.social. Early registration rates end tomorrow! sciencewriters2026.org/register/
What is "rejuvenation science," anyway? My latest for @stanfordlongevity.bsky.social longevity.stanford.edu/rejuvenation...
Rejuvenation Science
longevity.stanford.edu
Some kudos for my first AARP story, edited by Cori Vanchieri. Link in comments
Behavior vs Biology—we all know it's good to sleep & exercise, but new research suggests lifestyle can ease the impact of some genetic mutations (ie certain ones that accumulate in immune cells & raise heart disease risk). My latest for @sciencenews.bsky.social www.sciencenews.org/article/slee...
Sleep and exercise may dampen genetic drivers of heart disease
Over time, immune cells acquire mutations that promote atherosclerosis. Lifestyle changes may offset these DNA glitches, new mouse data suggest.
sciencenews.org
My thoughts on how to deal with news overload, and how certain scientific studies become clickbait headlines (ie a glimpse into the news media sausage-making) — for this month's @stanfordlongevity.bsky.social magazine. longevity.stanford.edu/sipping-from...
Sipping from the Firehose of Longevity News
longevity.stanford.edu
The evidence movement has transformed medicine and other fields — and this book has terrific reporting and storytelling — but ultimately what's needed for important decisions is not more data, but better discernment. My latest @undark.org undark.org/2026/05/22/b...
Book Review: The Case for Making Data-Driven Decisions
Helen Pearson’s “Beyond Belief” profiles figures who propelled medicine and other fields toward evidence-based thinking.
undark.org
Past studies show the brain's reward circuits can help mice fight infections, recover from heart attacks and slow the growth of tumors. New research extends those findings to people! #brainbodyconnection #placeboeffect My latest for @snexplores.bsky.social www.snexplores.org/article/posi...
Positive thinking could help boost your immune system
With real-time feedback, people can learn to turn on a part of the brain that helps rev up the immune system, new data show.
snexplores.org
In HS biology we learn about DNA, RNA, proteins. My @knowablemag.bsky.social story describes the other major building block of life: #glycans knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...
Sweet! The cell’s sugary coating comes into view
Built from thickets of glucose, galactose, mannose and more, the glycome plays key roles in cell communication, immunity and the blood-brain barrier
knowablemagazine.org
No surprise here! Thanks @carmendrahl.bsky.social & Macon Morehouse @sciencenews.bsky.social for beautiful edits on my story about @ucsfmac.bsky.social research highlighting impact of reforming #dementia care to empower #caregivers www.sciencenews.org/article/alzh...
The best way to help Alzheimer’s patients may be to help their caregivers
A mathematical model simulated patient outcomes when given caregiver support or an expensive Alzheimer’s drug to determine cost and health benefits.
sciencenews.org
My latest for @npr.org Fascinating brain-body research @cellpress.bsky.social by UCSD neuroscientists www.npr.org/2026/01/27/n...
Scientists shed new light on the brain's role in heart attack
Researchers discovered a feedback loop between nerve cells, the immune system and the heart. They think it shows promise as a target for future therapies.
npr.org
More than anything I've reported last decade, this @undark.org feature on #PANDAS showed me how profit-driven healthcare keeps US specialists siloed & unable to coordinate care. Many thanks @asjahq.bsky.social for supporting our work! Links to award-winning stories: www.asja.org/announcing-t...
Incredible reporting by @saratalpos.bsky.social for @undark.org undark.org/2025/05/27/j... Focuses on principles over politics, showing how a scientist became "controversial" for asking fair questions that deserved more attention and dialogue
Amid Turbulence, the NIH's Jay Bhattacharya Era Begins
Pandemic policies prompted his call for public health reform. But allies wonder if he can deliver it as a Trump insider.
undark.org
The physicians who trusted me with their painful, complicated journeys deserve this award! Shout-out to @brookeborel.bsky.social & Jane Reza @undark.org for terrific editing & fact-checking Fuller thoughts on LinkedIn: bit.ly/4cRa1tj
Last year Undark Magazine asked me to report on a rare and devastating… | Esther Landhuis
Last year Undark Magazine asked me to report on a rare and devastating condition (PANDAS) so poorly understood that some doctors say it doesn't exist. I wanted to explore the root of the problem r...
bit.ly
Association of Health Care Journalists@healthjournalism.org · last yr.🏆 AHCJ has announced the winners of the 2024 Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism! See the standout work being honored at #HJ25 in L.A. Full list here:
#foodallergy sufferers: Would you rather get a shot every 2-4 weeks or consume your allergens(s) daily? My story @medscape.com on new data from research trial addressing this Q — latest from my "medicine is rarely black and white" beat 🤪 www.medscape.com/viewarticle/...
Omalizumab vs Oral Immunotherapy: No Clear Winner
OUtMATCH 2/3: Among trial finishers, omalizumab and oral immunotherapy offered similar protection against food allergies, and some people could introduce allergens into their diet after stopping omali...
medscape.com
My first story for AARP, on pre-symotomatic #Alzheimer's Dx - now possible with blood tests, but advisable? www.aarp.org/health/brain...
Diagnosing Alzheimer’s in People With No Symptoms
Diagnosing Alzheimer's disease before people have any symptoms is possible, but brings up concerns when so few treatments are available
aarp.org
Health journalism+jazz drumming in 1 post w/ shared theme: improv! First, "thought aloud on mic" w/ @mcgowankat.bsky.social @alokpatelmd.bsky.social @ 1/13 JPM healthcare writers reception (📸 Kathleen Sheffer Photography) Then took drumsticks 🥁 across town & sat in for a tune @SFJAZZ jam session
Thrilled that my Undark features on PANDAS/PANS, direct-to-consumer allergy SLIT drops & OTC hearing aids won an award from the Society of Professional Journalists NorCal chapter! Thanks @brookeborel.bsky.social @saratalpos.bsky.social for edits & encouragement! spjnorcal.org/2024/10/30/s...
Caregivers, parents, @sciencewriters.org has a virtual meetup for you. 10/9, 1PM ET. Please join me, @elandhuis.bsky.social @sarahderouin.bsky.social and @sciam.bsky.social 's Lauren Young and @tanyalewis.bsky.social for off-the-record convos and camaraderie. www.nasw.org/events/nasw-...
Virtual Networking Social: Caregivers Support
This latest NASW Virtual Networking Social is brought to you by the NASW Freelance Committee.
nasw.org
A ~1,500-word riff on how #jazz #drumming could help my #journalism! Thanks to @kategammon.bsky.social for encouraging me to turn recent FB ramblings into something more coherent :) niemanstoryboard.org/stories/musi...
Bang that keyboard and jazz up your writing | Nieman Storyboard
A freelance science journalist took up drumming, dared to jam some jazz — and found a way to do fast-jazz story drafts.
niemanstoryboard.org
Say what? The brainstem not only controls core functions such as HR, BP, breathing ...but also, responses to infection. And this immunology finding came from a taste lab! Thanks @hanner.bsky.social for asking me to write this for @quantamagazine.bsky.social! www.quantamagazine.org/the-brainste...
The Brainstem Fine-Tunes Inflammation Throughout the Body | Quanta Magazine
The evolutionarily ancient part of the brain that controls breathing and heart rate also regulates the immune system — a discovery about the brain-body axis made by experts on taste.
quantamagazine.org
My latest for JAMA. Dire headline but focuses on solutions - eg PCR test showing if patient responds to "older" antibiotic, modeling study suggesting how to deploy new drugs w/ national surveillance on shoestring budget. @yhgrad.bsky.social @jenabbasi.bsky.social jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
“Super Gonorrhea” Has Arrived
This Medical News article discusses approaches to slow the spread of antimicrobial resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae.
jamanetwork.com
My attempt at capturing 2 decades of #Alzheimers drug development in 2,300 words! View from scientific trenches: amyloid immunotherapy from basic science to clinic. Full issue here (www.scientificamerican.com/custom-media...) www.scientificamerican.com/custom-media...
Scientific American
Amyloid immunotherapies took 20 years to reach the clinic. Scientists are testing new types of therapies they hope could deliver stronger benefits and fewer side effects
scientificamerican.com
My latest feature explores a hard-to-define condition that raises Qs re biological roots of mental illness. But this controversial diagnosis is getting more accepted, particularly as it strikes the children of healthcare providers. The most challenging piece I've done! undark.org/2024/04/03/p...
When Infection Sparks Obsession: PANDAS and PANS
A controversial diagnosis is increasingly accepted among doctors. Finding care remains out of reach for many families.
undark.org
What if disease-modifying therapies for #Alzheimers were evaluated by "time saved" rather than slowed rates of cognitive decline? My first piece for Nature Index www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Researchers call for a major rethink of how Alzheimer’s treatments are evaluated
An approach that aims to quantify how long a drug can delay or halt the progression of disease is gathering steam. An approach that aims to quantify how long a drug can delay or halt the progression o...
nature.com
Thanks @bmaher.bsky.social @ Kendall Powell for noticing my tweet last fall & letting it inspire this listicle-style piece for Nature Careers! www.nature.com/articles/d41...
11 reasons why we’ve stayed in academia
Although many postdocs and faculty members are leaving for industry or elsewhere, these researchers tell us why they love the academic life. Although many postdocs and faculty members are leaving for ...
nature.com
During the pandemic @carmendrahl.bsky.social set up occasional Zoom calls for NASW members who work while tending children & loved ones. Now we're offering a way to find a peer buddy to connect 1:1 — for all #caregiving NASW members, not just freelancers. Check it out! www.nasw.org/article/nasw...
Connection for Caregivers: Introducing NASW’s peer buddy resource pilot project
The Freelance Committee of the National Association of Science Writers launches a new pilot program serving NASW members juggling careers and caregiving.
nasw.org
ICYMI: Delightful storytelling in this Science cover feature by David Grimm www.science.org/content/arti...
‘Not dumb creatures.’ Livestock surprise scientists with their complex, emotional minds
A growing field of research is challenging long-held assumptions about goats, pigs, and other farm animals
science.org
