The first author, Michael Worobey, was skeptical of a market origin. So he did what scientists do, he tried to prove the hypothesis wrong....rigorous studies in landmark paper after landmark paper kept showing the market as the origin of COVID-19.

Prof Gavin Yamey MD MPH@gavinyamey.bsky.social · 9h ago

Yes “our analyses indicate that the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 occurred through the live wildlife trade in China and show that the Huanan market was the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic” pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35881010/

Today is the first Tuesday of the month, my (self-imposed) blog posting day -- I wrote about accusations of coverup and conspiracies, thrown without any evidence, in the context of the recent release of private documents by Rand Paul #covidorigin

Conspiracies and coverups

There is no evidence for a lab origin of SARS-CoV-2, so commenters default to meta-discourse and accuse scientists of coverups, for which there is no evidence either. So far, available data and scient...

pandemonium.hypotheses.org

In a somewhat concerning twist of fate, before seeing the Odyssey, we booked passage on a small ship visiting Southern Italy, Malta & Sicily. Some of the places we will visit are supposedly linked to Homer's Odyssey! Hopefully a modern day Odysseus won't be captain!

I'm a full Professor of Immunology and fully vaccinated. I didn't get vaccinated out of obedience, but after decades of studying the immune system and evaluating all evidence. Calling that "lack of critical thinking" is not an argument. It's ideology masked as pretend intellect.

"Scientists discovered and developed the COVID vaccines that brought the pandemic to an end. It’s the anti-vaxxers, not the scientific community, who should stand indicted in the light of 2026." This should be the conservative stance btw, from former Bush speech writer @davidfrum.bsky.social

Kristian G. Andersen@kgandersen.bsky.social · 5d ago

"Trump’s record of dishonesty, callousness, and selfishness during the pandemic is a documented reality. The imputations against Fauci are mostly fantasies". www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

The same is true about the “stolen” election

One of the worst things about the Senate’s attempted Fauci show trial is how the supposed evidence against him is early in COVID he considered multiple hypotheses, then increasingly ruled some unlikely as evidence came in. The objection is he did science. Fundamentally that is what’s under attack.

Ah, this is sad news. If you've walked Grafton St in Dublin, you know where he began. A mighty talent. Vale Glen Hansard.

Glen Hansard, Oscar-Winning 'Once' Musician, Dead at 56

Irish singer-songwriter Glen Hansard, who achieved international fame in the 2007 drama 'Once,' has died in a motorcycle crash at the age of 56.

rollingstone.com

It's not a theory. It's barely an hypothesis. Is it BS? Yes.

British chemist Dr. Dorothy Hodgkin won the 1964 #Nobel Prize in #Chemistry for using X-ray crystallography to "see" the 3D structures of complex molecules. After 35 years of work, she solved the incredibly complex structure of insulin, 1969. She died #OTD in 1994. #WomenInSTEM

Oh yes, if only we’d all have listened to the MAGA/MAHA dudes—Jay Bhattacharya saying doctors should be allowed to give ivermectin (ivermectin!) for COVID, Navarro peddling hydroxychloroquine—then 1.2 million Americans would not have died from COVID! Mismanaging the pandemic had nil to do with it 🤪

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · last wk.

Peter Navarro is on TV talking about hydroxychloroquine, which is enough to cause a PTSD flareup. I'm not sure it's smart for Trump's cronies to publicly relitigate their handling of covid.

.....people CHANGED THEIR MINDS in the light of NEW DATA regarding the role of the market."

Flo Débarre@flodebarre.eurosky.social · last wk.

I am sick of some media uncritically repeating Rand Paul's misrepresentation of Fauci's journal about the Huanan market. In late Jan 2020, it was a common commentary that the market may not be the origin of the outbreak, b/c of a Lancet paper on early cases ▫️1/6 www.paul.senate.gov/wp-content/u...

22 years ago today, Francis Crick died. You can read about his life, his brilliance and his failures in my biography, available in hardback in the UK and USA (and as an audiobook and ebook) and soon in a chonky UK paperback.

"Neither HHS nor Paul’s committee alerted Fauci ahead of time that they had obtained his diary and that they planned to publish it in full, according to a person familiar with the matter." This is so vile

Diary entries, a subpoena and an anticipated clash: Dr. Anthony Fauci and Rand Paul’s long-running battle returns to the Hill | CNN Politics

Even before the US enacted a national shutdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Dr. Anthony Fauci pondered whether he might have testified before Congress more than any other official.

edition.cnn.com

The Hazen Campus at Scripps Research has been an architectural landmark since 1995. The campus exemplifies a fusion of functional design and brilliance. Not just a structure but a ‘monastery for scientists,’ it is a testament to enduring architectural standards and a cradle for scientific discovery.

Chemist & X-ray crystallographer Rosalind Franklin's meticulous research was instrumental in uncovering DNA's molecular structure. Most famous for her role in the DNA double helix discovery, her work also revolutionized our understanding of viruses & coal. She was born #OTD in 1920. #WomenInSTEM 🧵

Dr. Frances Oldham Kelsey single-handedly blocked the "wonder drug" thalidomide (US, FDA, 1960) & saved American children from severe birth defects. The first woman to earn a PhD in pharmacology, she used her expertise & immense courage to defy intense industry pressure. #WomenInSTEM (1/2)

Dr. Nanna Svartz invented Salazopyrin (1941), a global blockbuster treatment for rheumatoid arthritis & more that is still used today. She became #Sweden's first female professor of medicine at a public university in 1937 (Karolinska Institutet). Born #OTD in 1890. #WomenInSTEM #MedSky #HigherEd

"Last month, almost a quarter of all cars sold in Australia were fully electric. A year ago, it was just 7 per cent. Add in hybrids, and EVs are now neck and neck with petrol- and diesel-fuelled automobiles."

How China won the car wars

In June, a bulk carrier made an unprecedented delivery of EVs to Australia, sounding an ominous warning to the world's automakers.

abc.net.au

Very proud of my lab. This is our 2nd, and more definitive, paper this year describing experimental studies identifying pulmonary exposure to silica alone as an essential step in the development of occupationally relevant inflammatory arthritis; 70 years after Caplan syndrome was first described. 🧪

Crystalline silica exposure of genetically diverse mice exacerbates subclinical autoimmunity into systemic autoimmune disease phenotypes including inflammatory arthritis in female mice

Inhalation of respirable crystalline silica (c-silica), an occupational hazard, has been associated with the development of systemic autoimmune diseas…

sciencedirect.com

Some call cricket a boring, complex, and, for the 5 days of test cricket, a ridiculously long game. But Garry Sobers could turn it into a glorious display of uncanny skills. He was pure magic. Vale Sir Garfield Sobers.

Sir Garry Sobers obituary

Peerless West Indies cricketer who excelled at all aspects of the game

theguardian.com

He was a great actor but his own character was impeccable. Vale Sam Neill.

Cinephilia & Beyond@cinephiliabeyond.org · 3w ago

Rest in peace to one of cinema’s most outstanding artists; the legendary actor Sam Neill (1947–2026)

Some deaths really hurt. 😢

Remembering our 'honorary Aussie' Sam Neill

Actor Sam Neill might have officially been a Kiwi but he did some of his best work in Australian film and television. At home on either side of the ditch, this is Sam Neill's story.

abc.net.au

Hundreds of scientists who study cancer and aging have made an easily avoidable but significant mistake, deploying the wrong antibody to test for a key protein, according to a researcher who exposes errors in the biomedical literature. Learn more: https://scim.ag/4wbc18V

My critics ran out of arguments. Latest attack: I’m bald. Guilty. Rather than hair transplant to hide my age (46), I spend the money on gym. 3 years ago I could barely pull 40kg. Here’s 180kg. Hair never helped anyone deadlift or do research. I’ll continue focusing on things that matter to me.

Why am I not surprised. 🧪

Scientists find no link between Tylenol and autism, again, after Trump warning

After Trump's claims, Tylenol usage dropped during pregnancies.

arstechnica.com

Thanks to the Gates Foundation for their continued support of our environmental surveillance programs ⭐🙏. I can't tell you have critically important this is, given that federal support for this type of research has all but collapsed. www.scripps.edu/news-and-eve...

Scripps Research scientists awarded $2M to advance global disease surveillance

scripps.edu

The publisher Springer claims it can only discuss why it retracted Planck's paper with... Planck! But until they hold a seance, they are happy to sell you a completely redacted version: a blank page for $39.95.

Thiago Carvalho@cyrilpedia.bsky.social · last mo.

This is what makes it art: '(...) the publisher posted a blank white page with the cryptic phrase, “This article has been withdrawn due to article violation.” Springer Nature is nevertheless still selling the empty PDF for $39.95.' www.science.org/content/arti...

NIH grants have been under political scrutiny since early 2025. But what does the screening process actually look like? What is being flagged? I spent a month digging into leaked docs and emails. We've published the 235-word list that are being flagged by an internal AI tool. And so much more. 🧵

Inside the new political screening that’s stalling NIH grants

Mandatory reviews by top health officials and checks for 235 disfavoured terms have left hundreds of vetted grant applications in administrative limbo.

nature.com