My thoughts on Trump’s witless, dangerous attempt to reschedule childhood vaccinations:
The Proposed Changes in Childhood Vaccination: A Strongly Felt Opinion
science.org
Martin Enserink
@martinenserink.bsky.social
Deputy news editor, Science magazine. Infectious diseases, global health, scientific integrity, science policy. Based in Amsterdam. Cat lover.
We took another look at Fauci's private journal. They don't contain evidence he was responsible for the pandemic or covered up its origins. But they offer a glimpse into how he handled his triumphs and tribulations. (And we learned what a “Full Fauci” is.) www.science.org/content/arti...
‘I Am What I Am’: Fauci’s private notes reveal a scientist navigating science, politics, and fame
Diary entries from the retired NIAID director address presidential relationships, “crazy RFK,” and death threats
science.org
Hard to think of a more worthy recipient of an award for trust in life science journalism than @helenbranswell.bsky.social, who has covered disease outbreaks and epidemics for decades. Congrats to her and @statnews.com. fnih.org/press-releas...
FNIH Awards Kovler Prize for Trust in Life Science Journalism to STAT reporter Helen Branswell | FNIH
Helen Branswell, an infectious diseases correspondent with STAT, will receive the 2026 Kovler Prize for Trust in Life Science Journalism.
fnih.org
UPDATE: A dead humpback whale found in a strait between Denmark and Sweden is “Timmy,” @theguardian.com reports. Read why marine biologists advised against the attempt in @martinenserink.bsky.social's excellent story for @science.org earlier this month.
Chaotic whale rescue shocks marine biologists
Timmy, a humpback whale stranded in Germany 6 weeks ago, was ailing and may already be dead
science.org
Already 80 suspected deaths, confirmed cases in Kinshasa and Kampala.... The latest Ebola outbreak looks really bad. @kakape.bsky.social has our story: www.science.org/content/arti...
BREAKING: WHO declares major outbreak of rare Ebola virus species in Congo and Uganda an international emergency
No vaccines or treatments exist for Ebola Bundibugyo, which has caused hundreds of suspected cases and 80 deaths; WHO warns of
science.org
The global response to this outbreak has been "a wonderful global collaborative effort ... It shows the value of networks and people speaking to each other.” Amen. www.science.org/content/arti...
Cruise ship’s hantavirus outbreak puts researchers in uncharted territory
Questions about the culprit virus and its route of spread remain as health officials make plans for stranded passengers
science.org
Terrific overview from @kakape.bsky.social about what we know - and don't know - about the hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship. www.science.org/content/arti...
Cruise ship’s hantavirus outbreak puts researchers in uncharted territory
Questions about the culprit virus and its route of spread remain as health officials make plans for stranded passengers
science.org
A terrible measles outbreak in Bangladesh wasn't caused by vaccine hesitancy but by government mistakes after the 2024 revolution that caused a nationwide vaccine shortage. Disturbing story by freelancer Anik Rahman, who also took the photos. www.science.org/content/arti...
Measles explodes in Bangladesh after vaccination breakdown, killing hundreds of children
Changes to government’s vaccine purchase system after 2024 revolution led to nationwide shortages, gaps in immunity
science.org
Timmy, the humpback whale stranded in Germany for 6 weeks, was released on Saturday after a chaotic rescue operation that shocked marine biologists. It's unclear where Timmy is now; he may already be dead. Here's my story about the case: www.science.org/content/arti...
Chaotic whale rescue shocks marine biologists
Timmy, a humpback whale stranded in Germany 6 weeks ago, was ailing and may already be dead
science.org
(Reposting with confusing typo removed): In 2021, someone posted a ludicrous theory about the origins of COVID-19 on WeChat. Inadvertently, that person may have given away some fascinating data about the Wuhan animal market, @cohenjon.bsky.social reports. www.science.org/content/arti...
science.org
Trump's departure from WHO also spells the end of US funding for (and collaborations with) the International Agency for Research on Cancer. www.science.org/content/arti... Story by @jocelynkaiser.bsky.social
United States is cutting ties with influential global cancer agency
Trump’s pullout from WHO bars federal scientists from working with the International Agency for Research on Cancer and could slash its funding
science.org
Could influenza D, which is infecting cows worldwide, become a threat to humans as well? @cohenjon.bsky.social joined scientists in Mexico who are trying to find out. www.science.org/content/arti...
A little-known flu virus is sickening cattle around the world. Are humans next?
Features of recently identified influenza D point to possible pandemic threat
science.org
A momentous occasion: 'Java Man' is going back to Indonesia, along with more than 28,000 other fossils that Dutch scientist Eugène Dubois collected during the colonial era. My story: www.science.org/content/arti...
‘Thrilled’ Indonesian scientists celebrate return of fossil trove from the Netherlands
The items to be returned, which include Java Man, were collected during the colonial era
science.org
The Dutch House of Representatives wants a major primate research center to end monkey studies in 5 years. Biomedical groups call the vote "far-reaching, ill-considered and harmful to public health." My story: www.science.org/content/arti...
Vote by Dutch lawmakers threatens major primate research center
In victory for animal rights activists, research on monkeys would end in 2030
science.org
I grew up reading Dutch newspaper @trouw.nl, so I'm thrilled they're running a translation of my @science.org story about the breakdown of malaria control in Guinea today. (The @pulitzercenter.org supported my trip; the amazing photos are from Marta Moreiras.) www.trouw.nl/buitenland/i...
In Guinee stort de bestrijding van malaria in. ‘Ik smeek Donald Trump! Kleine kinderen gaan dood!’
De VS hadden een relatief groot aandeel in het terugdringen van malaria in Afrika. Nu er drastisch gesneden is in hulpgeld, dreigt de ziekte weer op te komen.
trouw.nl
Community health workers in Guinea can be the difference between life and death when combating malaria. Thousands of these workers lost their jobs after the Trump administration cut #USAID funds. @martinenserink.bsky.social & Marta Moreiras report for @science.org. 👉 bit.ly/4fC6Irs
“Can you say firing squad?” Online death threats trigger a debate about the aggressive tactics of the White Coat Waste Project, a US animal rights group. www.science.org/content/arti... Story by @phiejacobs.bsky.social
Deaths threats to NIH official spark debate over aggressive campaign to end animal research
White Coat Waste Project files complaint over government employee’s emails claiming it incited harassment against Nicole Kleinstreuer
science.org
Scoop from @cohenjon.bsky.social: NIH may massively increase HIV 'implementation science', to $1 billion annually, at the expense of basic research. Some HIV researchers are alarmed. www.science.org/content/arti...
NIH ponders overhauling HIV budget to capitalize on prevention breakthrough
Scientists warn $1 billion push for “implementation science” spurred by promise of lenacapavir will hurt research on new treatments and vaccines
science.org
I traveled to Guinea to find out what U.S. budget cuts mean for the fight against malaria. Here's my story in @science.org - with powerful photography by Marta Moreiras. www.science.org/content/arti...
In Guinea, the United States helped beat back malaria. Now, the disease is set to soar
Foreign aid cuts are expected to cause a rise in malaria cases and deaths across sub-Saharan Africa
science.org
The White House has concerns about allegedly risky research on viruses, bacteria, and other pathogens. In response, the National Institutes of Health is cracking down on dozens of studies it was funding. By @jocelynkaiser.bsky.social and @cohenjon.bsky.social. www.science.org/content/arti...
Exclusive: NIH suspends dozens of pathogen studies over ‘gain-of-function’ concerns
Trump executive order leads to pauses on U.S.-funded research into TB, influenza, COVID-19, and other diseases, dismaying some scientists
science.org
"Institutions must support transgender and gender nonconforming and other marginalized scientists by securing their safety and privacy; their access to legal aid and health care; and their opportunities in education, employment, and society," argues a new #LetterToScience. scim.ag/4kQCMtr
Protect transgender scientists
Transgender and gender nonconforming (TGnC) people are a primary target of the Trump administration. Multiple executive orders seek to erase TGnC protections; mandate denial of gender identity; and ba...
scim.ag
How much expertise did a key vaccine panel lose this week when RFK Jr. fired its 17 members and appointed 8 new ones? @meredithwadman.bsky.social and I looked at their publication records to find out. www.science.org/content/arti...
The members of RFK Jr.’s new vaccine committee have published little on vaccines
Purge at immunization panel represents a major loss of expertise, as measured by scientific papers
science.org
Scoop from @sarareardon.bsky.social about the erratic process behind NIH's grant cancellations. www.science.org/content/arti...
Exclusive: NIH documents reveal inconsistencies in grant terminations as agency reviews 3200 more
Evidence of agency’s uneven guidance to employees and role of DOGE could play into legal case against cuts
science.org
Have advocates of more rigor in science been "useful idiots" who unwittingly helped Trump's attacks on U.S. research? @cathleenogrady.bsky.social sheds light on a fascinating discussion. www.science.org/content/arti...
Science’s reform movement should have seen Trump’s call for ‘gold standard science’ coming, critics say
Efforts to improve the rigor of research may have unwittingly handed the administration a way to attack science
science.org
Selling journal subscriptions is how scholarly societies have long made money. But that revenue stream is declining, putting the other work societies do at risk. www.science.org/content/arti... by @jeffreybrainard.bsky.social
Open-access revolution is squeezing scientific societies’ budgets, survey shows
Decline in journal revenues puts scholarships, advocacy, and other activities at risk
science.org
Yesterday, Senators asked NIH director Jay Bhattacharya how Trump can justify a 40% cut to NIH's budget. He declined to say. www.science.org/content/arti... by @jocelynkaiser.bsky.social
Senators press NIH director on killed grants and proposal to slash agency’s funding
Jay Bhattacharya says NIH’s final budget will be a “collaboration”
science.org
In the early 2010s, critics started pointing out that much of the psychology literature was unreliable. Now, a statistical analysis suggests the field is improving, @cathleenogrady.bsky.social reports. www.science.org/content/arti...
‘A big win’: Dubious statistical results are becoming less common in psychology
Fewer papers are reporting findings on the border of statistical significance, a potential marker of dodgy research practices
science.org
“We dissent to Administration policies that undermine the NIH mission, waste public resources, and harm the health of Americans and people across the globe.” www.science.org/content/arti...
NIH staff and biomedical community sound alarm about agency politicization, funding slowdown
In test of NIH director’s support of dissent, NIH staff sign Bethesda Declaration urging reversal of grant cuts and freezes
science.org
“It is a difficult time:” Mpox continues to spread in Africa but vaccination efforts are falling far short. www.science.org/content/arti... (by @cohenjon.bsky.social)
African countries fall far short of mpox vaccination targets
Continent faces a shortage of doses and distribution challenges
science.org
Tiny Sierra Leone has seen more than 3000 mpox cases since January; the past few weeks, it accounted for more than half of all new cases in Africa. www.science.org/content/arti...
Explosive mpox outbreak in Sierra Leone overwhelms health systems
Rapid transmission through sexual networks raises fears of wider spread in the region
science.org