Tessera

"This wrecks some of our lives," Dylan told me about his experience w/the peptide BPC-157. He wasn't alone. There are entire chat rooms of people who say they've been harmed. Their voices are muffled in MAHA hype. My latest @kffhealthnews.org / @washingtonpost.com kffhealthnews.org/public-healt...

Kai Kupferschmidt @kakape.bsky.social · 2d ago

Hard to find the words tonight. Helen was an amazing journalist, smart, hard-working, clear-eyed. She was also a kind, generous person and a good friend. Sad beyond words.

Jason Ukman@jasonukman.bsky.social · 3d ago

Helen Branswell was a gift — to family and friends, to colleagues, and to masses of people whose lives were made better by the work to which she was so devoted. I was lucky to know her. www.statnews.com/2026/10/13/h...

Amy Maxmen, PhD @amymaxmen.bsky.social · 2d ago

I'm stunned by the news of Helen Branswell's passing. She was a force in science journalism. Gone too soon. 💔https://www.statnews.com/2026/10/13/helen-branswell-stat-reporter-obituary/

Helen Branswell, whose reporting on infectious diseases and public health drew acclaim, dies at 69

Helen Branswell, STAT's infectious disease reporter who earned the respect of experts and public health officials with her accessible, prescient dispatches, has died at age 69.

statnews.com

Amit Chandra, MD @amitchandramd.bsky.social · 3d ago

Excerpt: "After the third day of squirting an experimental drug up his nose, Dylan Meetze felt horrible." 🙄

"This wrecks some of our lives," Dylan told me about his experience w/the peptide BPC-157. He wasn't alone. There are entire chat rooms of people who say they've been harmed. Their voices are muffled in MAHA hype. My latest @kffhealthnews.org / @washingtonpost.com kffhealthnews.org/public-healt...

Jonathan Jarry @jonathanjarry.bsky.social · 3d ago

Great piece on the dark side of *injecting yourself with experimental drugs you bought online*, with a very well observed conclusion. 👇

"This wrecks some of our lives," Dylan told me about his experience w/the peptide BPC-157. He wasn't alone. There are entire chat rooms of people who say they've been harmed. Their voices are muffled in MAHA hype. My latest @kffhealthnews.org / @washingtonpost.com kffhealthnews.org/public-healt...

Christie Aschwanden @cragcrest.bsky.social · 3d ago

Great piece by @amymaxmen.bsky.social on the consequences of the peptide free-for-all going on right now. kffhealthnews.org/public-healt...

People Say These Peptides Hurt Them. Their Stories Are Muffled in MAHA’s Push for Medical Freedom. - KFF Health News

People who have taken experimental peptides, such as BPC-157, complain of migraines, eye pain, fatigue, and more. Learning whether these popular but unproven drugs are to blame may become harder if Ro...

kffhealthnews.org

LizW @cave-malum.bsky.social · 3d ago

Chat rooms are fine but consumers should know how to report adverse events to FDA. Journalists and public health folks can and should encourage reporting.

MedWatch Online Voluntary Reporting Form

accessdata.fda.gov

"This wrecks some of our lives," Dylan told me about his experience w/the peptide BPC-157. He wasn't alone. There are entire chat rooms of people who say they've been harmed. Their voices are muffled in MAHA hype. My latest @kffhealthnews.org / @washingtonpost.com kffhealthnews.org/public-healt...

Katheryn Houghton @k-hought.bsky.social · 3d ago

Companies are required to warn that experimental peptides, which haven’t been approved by the FDA, are for research use only. But many companies may soon be permitted to drop the warning because of a push by health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lower barriers to their use.

"This wrecks some of our lives," Dylan told me about his experience w/the peptide BPC-157. He wasn't alone. There are entire chat rooms of people who say they've been harmed. Their voices are muffled in MAHA hype. My latest @kffhealthnews.org / @washingtonpost.com kffhealthnews.org/public-healt...

Bryn Nelson @seattlebryn.bsky.social · 3d ago

Yikes. Again, this is why we want an intact, functional, and competent FDA.

"This wrecks some of our lives," Dylan told me about his experience w/the peptide BPC-157. He wasn't alone. There are entire chat rooms of people who say they've been harmed. Their voices are muffled in MAHA hype. My latest @kffhealthnews.org / @washingtonpost.com kffhealthnews.org/public-healt...

Amy Maxmen, PhD @amymaxmen.bsky.social · 3d ago

"This wrecks some of our lives," Dylan told me about his experience w/the peptide BPC-157. He wasn't alone. There are entire chat rooms of people who say they've been harmed. Their voices are muffled in MAHA hype. My latest @kffhealthnews.org / @washingtonpost.com kffhealthnews.org/public-healt...

People Say These Peptides Hurt Them. Their Stories Are Muffled in MAHA’s Push for Medical Freedom. - KFF Health News

People who have taken experimental peptides, such as BPC-157, complain of migraines, eye pain, fatigue, and more. Learning whether these popular but unproven drugs are to blame may become harder if Ro...

kffhealthnews.org

Angie Rasmussen@angierasmussen.bsky.social · last wk.

🍿🍿🍿🍿

Couldn't wait to finish Biological War: A Scenario to put Annie Jacobsen on blast for her contributions to disinforming the public about plague, pandemic risk, & Russian bioweapons so that she can use a crisis to sell her book on the national news. rasmussenretorts.substack.com/p/annie-jaco...

Russian bioweapon lab-leak pandemic? Nope, for the reasons stated in this oped from biosecurity wiz @ggronvall.bsky.social. But, she writes, there are plenty of related reasons to be worried. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/08/o...

Christina Jewett@by-cjewett.bsky.social · 2w ago

"The investigation could have a chilling effect on pediatricians, making them think twice about urging vaccinations."

NEW: Ken Paxton's office is investigating pediatricians for vaccinating children. He alleged a sprawling profit-driven conspiracy. Pediatricians say the accusations are an attempt at intimidation. 🎁 www.nytimes.com/2026/10/05/h...

Gillian Brockell @gillianbrockell.com · last wk.

I LOVE how @propublica.org dealt with official comment here, editorially and stylistically.

The Trump administration says none of this is happening.

"DHS is NOT arresting U.S. citizens by mistake." "There are no 'indiscriminate' stops." Allegations of "racial profiling are disgusting, reckless and categorically FALSE." "The pattern is NOT of law enforcement using force." "ICE does not zip tie or restrain children."

But that is precisely what is happening, and at a far larger scale than previously reported.

Ken Schwencke@schwanksta.com · last wk.

A year ago, @propublica.org told you immigration agents had detained more than 170 U.S. citizens. We’ve updated our count, and we’ve got all the receipts. The tally: At least 506 citizens detained. Sometimes held at gunpoint, handcuffed, or even deported. projects.propublica.org/american-cit...

ProPublica @propublica.org · last wk.

2/ Federal agents have detained at least 70 children and teens who are American citizens. Some were handcuffed or zip-tied. In one instance, a 15-year-old with disabilities was handcuffed outside a school in Los Angeles when agents mistook him for an alleged gang member.

At least 70 U.S. citizen children detained, some of whom were handcuffed

ProPublica @propublica.org · last wk.

The government *still* isn’t tracking how often immigration agents detain U.S. citizens. We are. 500+ Americans have been handcuffed, held at gunpoint or held against their will in Trump’s second term. Our tally is almost certainly an undercount. THREAD (content warning: violence) ⬇️

Jessica Malaty Rivera, MS @jessicamalaty.bsky.social · 7mo ago

A breath of fresh air: @saskiapopescu.bsky.social writes about the specific threats of bioweapons AND POLICIES TO REDUCE RISK. A very real threat is distraction. Best thing I've read on this topic. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

AI biohazard hype must not divert attention from the real risks we face now

Twenty-five years after the US anthrax attacks, fears around AI are distracting people from seeing what’s needed to stay safe: a strong, regulated life-sciences sector.

nature.com

Always a pleasure to talk to my pal @alletson.bsky.social at @revealnews.org

Reveal@revealnews.org · 7mo ago

An upside-down food pyramid. Anti-vaxxers. MAHA influencers. Infectious disease expert @jessicamalaty.bsky.social takes us inside the upended world of US health policy under RFK Jr. Listen to this week's More To The Story:

The Ebola outbreak in Congo is now exploding in North Kivu, where 34% of Ebola patients are being treated in bare-bones health facilities instead of Ebola Treatment Units, according to @msf.org 3,982 confirmed deaths 😔 www.doctorswithoutborders.org/latest/ebola...

Ebola outbreak spreading like “wildfire” across North Kivu

The province is bearing an increasing share of the Ebola burden in DR Congo, while access to specialized care remains insufficient.

doctorswithoutborders.org

Absolutely stunning/horrifying to see a 5th measles death in PA. This means the outbreak is probably far higher than numbers count, seeing as roughly 1-3 people die per 1,000. Many people aren't being tested. Also: I'm going to states now for info, not the CDC* app.powerbigov.us/view?r=eyJrI...

Do you want to be a science writer? Or just learn more about science writing? This is a fantastic *paid* opportunity to sharpen your skills. @theopennotebook.bsky.social @siricarpenter.bsky.social www.theopennotebook.com/early-career...

Early-Career Fellowship Program - The Open Notebook

Every year, The Open Notebook offers a paid, part-time fellowship program for early-career science journalists. This ten-month program offers fellows the opportunity to explore their career interests and passions and to sharpen their skills as part of a talented, supportive, diverse community of past and present fellows and mentors. This fellowship is made possible through the generous support of the Burroughs Wellcome Fund.

theopennotebook.com