Heidi Ledford
@heidiledford.bsky.social
Reporter for Nature, mostly covering biology and medicine. Probably has more Nature publications than you😁. hledford.01 (Signal) and heidiledford (@proton.me)
Around the time of birth, the developing human brain mysteriously tidies up by purging itself of a vast number of mutation-riddled neurons go.nature.com/484COcB
The brain liquidates billions of mutant neurons around the time we’re born
Faulty neurons can contribute to various neurological conditions, but researchers have uncovered a system that might clean them up.
go.nature.com
Although most scientists don't do it for the money, @nature.com's 2026 Global Job Satisfaction Survey shows that salaries are flat in many places while living costs rise. Reporting by @lindanordling.bsky.social Are salaries getting worse? Many scientists think so www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Are salaries getting worse? Many scientists think so
Nature’s survey of almost 4,000 researchers shows that you’re not alone if you struggle to make ends meet or your last pay rise is a distant memory.
nature.com
"Similarly, menopause hormone therapy comes in >200 varieties that differ by dose, formulation of estrogens and progestogens, and timing, each with their own distinct risk-benefit profiles." 😲that's.... wow. How are we going to sort that out? www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reframing menopause and menopause hormone therapy as opportunities for healthy aging
Menopause is an important biological transition with up to 72 symptoms that shapes aging trajectories across organs and encompasses ~40% of the female lifespan. Although menopause awareness is increas...
science.org
It's NOBELS week next week! To whet your appetite, here's a challenge: how many of the women who've won a science #Nobel can you name? www.nature.com/immersive/d4... @nature.com | @nobelprize.org
See our coverage from August on the impact of those withheld funds. Final tally is about ~6200 grants.
Dan Garisto@dangaristo.bsky.social · 2mo agoScoop: For nearly a year, NSF has struggled to make new grants. Now we know that it will not catch up. In fact, NSF will award just 6,100 new grants—a 30% y/o/y decline, itself down from a previous avg. of 11,000+. In fact, the last time NSF awarded so few grants was in the early '80s.
SCOOP: Top researchers at Columbia, Stanford, and others thought they were elected to elite scientific societies alongside Nobel laureates. The catch? The organizations are a sham. I spent the last month diving deep into a massive academic scam spanning continents, for @nature.com
Exclusive: Sham scientific societies are misleading star researchers
A Nature investigation reveals a network of organizations that have been building their ranks through deceptive practices.
nature.com
Food poisoning bug sends immune cells charging from the gut to the brain -- fun, fascinating story by @gvconroy.bsky.social @nature.com www.nature.com/articles/d41...
'Stomach bugs' send protective immune cells rushing from gut to brain
Voyaging gut-derived immune cells ‘remember’ past stomach infections in mice.
nature.com
Really enjoyed this @jesshamzelou.bsky.social roundup of under-35s to watch in biotech. A timely reminder (just ahead of Nobel season!) for folks like me to not just focus on the senior investigators... 🧪 www.technologyreview.com/2026/09/11/1...
Meet the under-35s shaping the future of biotech
They’re designing viruses, reversing the aging process, and saving lives.
technologyreview.com
Did an experimental cell therapy rebuild bones in people with osteoporosis? Elie Dolgin balances hope and caveats in this @nature.com story about a small, preliminary clinical trial of marrow cells that were modified to seek out bone www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Osteoporosis affects millions: could modified cells rebuild their bones?
Small trial hints at regenerative potential of bone-seeking marrow cells.
nature.com
Almost every infection can leave a subset of people with a chronic condition, #MECFS and #longCOVID among them. Why does that happen, and where are the treatments? www.nature.com/articles/d41... New feature from @nature.com
When do infections lead to long COVID? Scientists close in on triggers and treatments for post-viral syndromes
Hundreds of millions of people have long-term conditions as a result of an infection. Researchers are working out how to help them.
nature.com
An agreement paves the way for hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of projects to be transferred from the NIH’s institute for infectious diseases to the Department of Defense. go.nature.com/4ycEbk8
Revealed: inside the US military's plan to tap huge sums from the NIH
An agreement paves the way for hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of projects to be transferred from the NIH’s institute for infectious diseases to the Department of Defence.
go.nature.com
A landmark pancreatic cancer drug is showing promise against the world’s biggest cancer killer: lung cancer. It’s early days – the clinical trial was small, and drug resistance remains a problem – but I'll take good news where I can find it. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Landmark pancreatic cancer drug shows potential against lung cancer too
Results bolster hopes that the drug daraxonrasib could prove effective against a variety of tumours.
nature.com
Ocean temperatures are hovering hundredths of a degree below the all-time record high with months to go before El Niño reaches full strength. “Basically, everywhere on Earth, we’re having above-normal temperatures in the ocean." New in @nature.com: 🌊🌍🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Ocean temperatures set to break all-time record: what's next?
High sea surface temperatures are expected to weaken ocean carbon sinks and damage coral reefs.
nature.com
NEW: The NIH is quietly restricting funding for research that evaluates how public policy impacts human health. According to internal documents I obtained, the agency no longer considers policymakers "mission relevant" — a massive shift for the biomedical funder. My latest for @nature.com:
NIH limits funding for research on the health effects of public policy
US biomedical agency no longer considers policymakers as ‘mission relevant’, leaving dozens of grants in limbo.
nature.com
The bispecific antibodies, T-cell activators, attempt to bring the two cell types closer together, thereby stimulating the T-cell to attack the cancer cell. At least 12 such T-cell activators have been approved for the treatment of cancer, including leukemia & myeloma. @heidiledford.bsky.social
Cancer-fighting antibodies with a one-two punch take aim at tumours
Bispecific antibodies, which bind to two targets, are sweeping into the clinic and are prompting even more elaborate versions.
go.nature.com
Nature reveals the studies that are mentioned most often in patent filings — and why. A fascinating analysis by @richvn.bsky.social @heidiledford.bsky.social & Edward Chen at @nature.com 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Exclusive: the science papers that patents cite the most
Nature reveals the studies that are mentioned most often in patent filings — and why.
nature.com
A cutting-edge operation has restored a man’s ability to make sperm by transplanting tissue samples that were removed from one of his testicles and frozen 16 years earlier. go.nature.com/4pz617m
Man’s ability to make sperm restored after testicular tissue transplant: what scientists think
Testicle sample removed from a ten-year-old before chemotherapy and frozen proves viable 16 years later.
go.nature.com
NSWA members: @robertakwok.bsky.social will be launching her new book, Lost in Curiosity, next week! 🚀 Hope to see you at one of these events:) Tuesday 7/21 at 7pm at Ravenna Books Wednesday 7/22 at 6:30 at Brick & Mortar Books Redmond Thursday 7/23 at 6pm at Village Books & Paper Dreams, Fairhaven
Seattle-area folks, I'll be launching Lost in Curiosity at Third Place Books Ravenna and Brick & Mortar Books in Redmond next Tuesday/Wednesday! And if you're closer to Bellingham, I'l...
Seattle-area folks, I'll be launching Lost in Curiosity at Third Place Books Ravenna and Brick & Mortar Books in Redmond next Tuesday/Wednesday! And if you're closer to Bellingham, I'll be at Village ...
lnkd.in
For the second time this month, a team of researchers has reported harnessing a precise gene-editing technique to alter the DNA of human embryos go.nature.com/4vwIXrO
‘Edited’ human embryos reveal secrets of our development — and fuel ethical debate
Ethical discussions are urgently needed as genome-editing science advances, some researchers say.
go.nature.com
🔴 We have a fun thing for you today in @nature.com - a game! We took the latest research into Mars terraforming and transformed it into an interactive adventure. 🌿 How would you make the red planet green? Try your hand and see if you can win. 🧪 www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
Can you terraform Mars? Try Nature’s game
Once the realm of science fiction, the idea of making Mars habitable is gaining traction. Nature consulted with key scientists to develop this experimental adventure.
nature.com
Not just an issue for AI: "Scientists and engineers who build powerful AI systems often understand the tools’ capabilities in extraordinary detail. What they resist — and sometimes cannot see — is that their technical choices are also political choices." www.nature.com/articles/d41...
I advise the Vatican and the UN on AI — don’t dismiss the Pope’s message as theology
The papal letter goes beyond a religious document and diagnoses a failure in AI governance that the scientific community should heed.
nature.com
"The results... do not mean that 6-8 hours is the optimum amount of sleep for every person, nor do they prove that achieving that ‘Goldilocks’ range of sleep each day directly improves health or slows ageing." @heidiledford.bsky.social on sleep study & impt caveats www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Sleep linked to slower ageing: huge study pinpoints the right amount
Health outcomes were better in people who slept between about six and eight hours a day.
nature.com
Characteristicaly good piece by @lizziegibney.bsky.social about how seriously (or not) to take AI doomsayers. The point is made here that AI researchers are not necessarily the best people to ask about social implications of the technology. To which I'd add that... www.nature.com/articles/d41...
AI doom warnings are getting louder. Are they realistic?
Researchers are increasingly sounding the alarm that artificial intelligence could end humanity. But such doomsday warnings carry their own risks.
nature.com
NASA has just shared the first high-resolution images of the Earth taken by the Artemis II crew, meanwhile, massive budget cuts are once again proposed for US science, including for NASA 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Massive budget cuts for US science proposed again by Trump administration
Budget proposal would also curb federal payments for scientific publishing.
nature.com
Ouch. “Despite the incredible wealth of interesting content at conferences, it can be hard to stay engaged. And by engaged, I mean awake." www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Knock knock, no one’s there. Study finds scientists’ jokes mostly fall flat
Survey examines how often academics attempt jokes during conference talks — and how these attempts at comedy land.
nature.com
CRISPR–Cas9 might offer a way to make safer, more effective cancer-fighting immune cells engineered inside the human body go.nature.com/4lE2kv2
CRISPR makes enhanced cancer-fighting immune cells inside mice
Gene-editing technique promises a potentially safer way to create CAR T cells with a simple injection.
go.nature.com
This is important! A locally tailored, big-push intervention to educate unmarried adolescent girls in 18 communities in northern Nigeria reduced rates of marriage from 86% to just 21% 🧪 #policy #education www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Marriage of adolescent girls in Nigeria reduced by 80% by ‘big push’ intervention
A locally tailored, big-push intervention to educate unmarried adolescent girls in 18 communities in northern Nigeria reduced rates of marriage from 86% to just 21%. Interventions that address complex...
nature.com
