The data is in: the NIH goalposts have shifted. What were once almost certain fundable scores have become coin flips and what used to be likely grants have become aspirational, leading to fewer awards. Another manifestation of how HHS policies have led to fewer awards and less science.

The government is saying that violence rules. That snatching foreign leaders and territories, and shooting US citizens in their cars at point blank range, is justified. That resistance is not only futile, it is dangerous. They can say these things. But they cannot force us to believe them.

Honestly, one of the worst parts of the scientific funding crisis is having to spend so much time writing papers, proposals, etc. in a state of fear. I don't do my best writing while afraid, let alone my best science!

PSA to aspiring graduate students: If you have a submitted or pre-printed publication, **please** list it on your CV, mention it in your research statement, and in the application. Don't leave out the one thing that can make your application automatically higher ranking! #GradSchool Pls RT

I only rarely get to blend my art with my science, which is why I am happy that my illustration for our lab’s first paper is out today as the cover of Matter @cp-matter.bsky.social! We're so proud of this work, so in case you missed it, please check the paper out here: www.cell.com/matter/fullt...

I am so thankful for this reporting, it has been so hard to explain to non-scientists how these changes have impacted us and this does a great job.

Aatish Bhatia@aatishb.com · 8mo ago

In my last story on staff at the Times, my colleagues and I analyzed over a decade of federal science funding and interviewed many federal employees to identify all of the science that went unfunded this year. Here's a paywall-free link:

each year around this time I wonder the same thing - why is there not a common app system for grad school? It takes literally hundreds of individual uploads given that students are applying to 10+ programs a cycle now.

In a new phase 3 trial, people randomly assigned to receive a flu shot made with modified mRNA were 34.5% less likely to be diagnosed with an influenza-like illness than people given a standard flu shot made with inactivated virus. We need to stop the anti-science attacks against mRNA vaccines!

Come! I'll be part of a little panel talking about queer nature and the tickets are free! 🌈🦐🦒🦖🐟🦩🕷️🌈

ZSL@zslofficial.bsky.social · 9mo ago

We're so excited to be hosting this event for LGBTQ+ STEM Day with @prideinstem.bsky.social on 18th November! 🌈 Find out more and book your free ticket: www.outsavvy.com/event/31027/...

Warming waters cause corals to “bleach” when these organisms expel symbiotic algae that provide nutrients, oxygen & vibrant colors. The latest global bleaching event - researchers estimate >84% of the planet's coral ecosystems have been affected since Jan 2023 - has made it clear the crisis is now.

'Our results indicate that a population of Treg cells acts to oppose excessive activation of sensory neurons through the production of enkephalins, endogenous opioid peptides that reduce nociceptive signaling, & by limiting its tone to restrain associated inflammation during inflammatory challenge'

Enkephalin-producing regulatory T cells in the skin restrain local inflammation through control of nociception

Regulatory T cells curb noxious sensory signaling to dampen cutaneous inflammation, a neuromodulatory mechanism for immunosuppression.

science.org

Tuning collagen nonlinear mechanics with interpenetrating networks drives adaptive cellular phenotypes in three dimensions | Science Advances www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Tuning collagen nonlinear mechanics with interpenetrating networks drives adaptive cellular phenotypes in three dimensions

This work demonstrates that changes in the nonlinear elasticity of collagen in hybrid networks tunes cell-matrix interactions.

science.org

Applying to the NSF-GRFP (or another fellowship) on a tight deadline? We built a 7-week guide + timeline to get you from draft to submission. It’s not too late — you’ve got this! ✨ 🔗 cientificolatino.com/apply-in-7-weeks #NSFGRFP #GradSchool #Fellowship

An NLRP3 stimulatory universal influenza vaccine. We report an NLRP3 stimulus that generates hyperactive dendritic cells (hDCs). journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...

An NLRP3-stimulatory adjuvant improves the immunogenicity of influenza virus vaccines in mice and non-human primates | mBio

The generation of vaccines that stimulate T cell activities is an unmet need for the scientific community, as T cells are the primary mediators of immune memory. In this study, we report a new vaccine...

journals.asm.org

#InterferonPower! Thrilled for our latest work @cp-cell.bsky.social! With @danielboehmer.bsky.social, we dug into tons of papers & created what we hope will be a go-to resource for immunologists & non-immunologist about type I, II, III (& IV😉) #interferons! Free👉 authors.elsevier.com/a/1leKGL7PXu...

big one! a decade in the making. nadler & team develop tools to track lipid transport in living cells at single-species resolution. turns out non-vesicular, asymmetry-driven transport is the main architect of organelle identity. feels like the dawn of a golden era for lipid biology. rdcu.be/eBGJv

Quantitative imaging of lipid transport in mammalian cells

Nature - Directional, non-vesicular lipid transport is responsible for fast, species-selective lipid sorting into organelle membranes.

rdcu.be

Yeah, because they've been hacking away at the social safety net since the year I was born (it is actually the year I was born quality of life started to decrease it's pretty depressing)

The lab's first paper is out now in @cp-matter.bsky.social We explored whether extracellular vesicles (EVs) could serve as structural elements in biomaterials—and whether doing so would confer intrinsic bioactivity. Artemis' thread explains how we used yogurt EVs to answer both these questions! 🧪

Artemis Margaronis@artemismargaronis.bsky.social · last yr.

We are excited to share our new paper in Matter @cp-matter.bsky.social (www.cell.com/matter/fullt...: (1/19) We formulated injectable hydrogels in which extracellular vesicles (EVs) act as both structural and bioactive components 🧪. Thread below on the hydrogel design framework and bioactivity:

BWF is proud to announce the 2025 recipients of its Postdoctoral Diversity Enrichment Program (PDEP), which provides critical support to postdoctoral researchers pursuing careers in biomedical and medical research. www.bwfund.org/news/bwf-ann... #bwfpdep

BWF Announces 2025 Postdoctoral Diversity Enrichment Program Recipients - Burroughs Wellcome Fund

Research Triangle Park, N.C. — The Burroughs Wellcome Fund (BWF) is proud to announce the 2025 recipients of its Postdoctoral Diversity Enrichment Program (PDEP), which provides critical support to…

bwfund.org

BWF is pleased to announce the 2025 recipients of its Career Awards at the Scientific Interface (CASI). buff.ly/WDswUnt #bwfcasi

buff.ly

I am super proud of our postdoctoral fellow @roberthincapie.bsky.social who has been selected as one of the @bwfund.bsky.social PDEP recipients! This is such a well-deserved recognition of Robert's research potential and commitment to making academia a better place 🧪 www.bwfund.org/news/bwf-ann...

BWF Announces 2025 Postdoctoral Diversity Enrichment Program Recipients - Burroughs Wellcome Fund

Research Triangle Park, N.C. — The Burroughs Wellcome Fund (BWF) is proud to announce the 2025 recipients of its Postdoctoral Diversity Enrichment Program (PDEP), which provides critical support to po...

bwfund.org

Are you from one of these states? Then we need your help to save American science! The Senate Appropriations Committee will be marking up the President's Budget Request for science on Wednesday. People have been saying the proposed cuts "decimated" US science, but that's wrong: they are apocalyptic

I'm honored to join the amazing community of Beckman researchers! I want to thank all the mentors and friends who helped me reach this milestone -- it's too many to list!! This funding will support our work integrating synthetic and natural nanomaterials to develop new cancer immunotherapies

Beckman Foundation@beckman-foundation.bsky.social · last yr.

Congratulations to our 2025 Beckman Young Investigator Awardees! Ten researchers to receive $6M in total science #funding for cutting-edge #research: www.beckman-foundation.org/latest-news/... #BYI #beckman #science #grants #academia #chemistry #lifesciences

"Women are PIs on 58% of the canceled grants, although they are PIs on only 34% of all active NSF grants. Similarly, Blacks are PIs on 17% of the terminated grants, although they make only 4% of the total pool. Hispanic PIs and those with disabilities were twice as likely to lose a grant."

David Malakoff@davidmalakoff.bsky.social · last yr.

Another scoop from Jeff Mervis (@policyhound.bsky.social): NSF's ~1400 grant terminations have disproportionately affected PIs from groups underrepresented in science: women, racial & ethnic minorities, & those with disabilities. 1/3 www.science.org/content/arti...

This is a project and an area I've been working in for years. We've published numerous papers on the topic, and recently went through a competitive renewal in which the science of the grant was rigorously evaluated and supported. And it was cut for cheap political points

Yesterday, the NIH R35 “Outstanding Investigator” grant to fund scientists in my lab studying antibiotic resistance was terminated for reasons not related to the content of the science, or any actions taken by me or members of my lab

Vaccine research is out. Cancer research is out. How are immuno engineers thinking about what role federal funding can now play in this work? Is there any facet of our field that hasn't become villainized? 🧪

One of the few powers we have as individual citizens, particularly between elections, is our consumer power. Effective boycotts could really make a difference, and I'd love to see guides for the top 5 companies to boycott. I for one cancelled Prime today and closed my Amazon credit card.

The Trump NIH is banning hires of new students and postdocs. This is devastating for NIH research and will result in a lost generation of researchers at the institution. Heard from a applicant today: "A lot of people are banking their entire careers on the [NIH student programs]..." #NIH 🧪 1/

Hero lawyers in state AG offices busted their asses over the weekend to get this done. Now do your part: call your Representative and Senators TODAY. Call your AG AND governor and voice your support for these lawsuits.

Josh Gerstein@joshgerstein.bsky.social · last yr.

BREAKING: 22 states sue NIH over Trump administration's new 15% cap on overhead for federal research grants. Suit filed federal court in Boston contends lifesaving research 'will grind to a halt' under the policy. Doc: storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...