Sara Reardon
@sarareardon.bsky.social
Reporter at Science covering biology, policy, and all things wild and wonderful. @science.org 🧠 🧬 ⚖️ 🐒 🏳️🌈 🦠 🔬 🏛 👩🔬 Signal: sara_reardon.59
Last week, an FDA advisory committee evaluated whether the agency should allow pharmacies to produce popular peptides and sell them to consumers. We explain the benefits and risks of these changes @science.org www.science.org/content/arti...
FDA committee votes to make peptides more widely available
The loosely regulated molecules could soon become easier to buy, despite unknowns about their risks
science.org
🚨Breaking🚨: NIH is terminating health disparities research grants again. This time, they may successfully avoid legal challenges by giving specific reasons for their decisions. One grant so far, more to come. Exclusive @science.org by me and @jocelynkaiser.bsky.social www.science.org/content/arti...
NIH is again terminating grants that the Trump administration dislikes
With cancellation of health disparities project, agency may be testing new way to legally kill politically sensitive grants
science.org
Exclusive @science.org: Circadian biologist Satchidananda Panda is resigning from Salk following multiple sexual harassment investigations. Lab members and other employees spoke up after Salk refused to reveal the investigations' findings. #MeTooSTEM www.science.org/content/arti...
Prominent Salk Institute biologist to resign following sexual misconduct investigation
Staffers complain that Salk allowed circadian rhythms researcher Satchidananda Panda to depart quietly, while the allegations and findings remain under wraps
science.org
🚨 Update🚨 : I'm thrilled to be starting as a fulltime reporter at Science! I'll be covering biomedical research and science policy from Boston. Please send me tips about science, scandals, and cephalopods. 🧬
Octopuses "taste" microbes in the environment using special receptors on their suckers, allowing them to protect themselves and their eggs from disease. My 🐙 story for @science.org www.science.org/content/arti...
‘Truly amazing’: Octopuses ‘taste’ harmful microbes with their suckers
Unique ability allows the animals to protect themselves and their offspring from decaying food and other material
science.org
"Have we no shame?” District judge William Young ruled that NIH must restore some cancelled grants, then berated the administration for the racial and gender discrimination behind the terminations. Now we wait for his full ruling -- and a likely appeal. @science.org www.science.org/content/arti...
Judge orders NIH to restore hundreds of grants cut under Trump
William Young calls terminations illegal, berates agency for discrimination
science.org
Could Monday's court hearing result in hundreds of cancelled NIH grants being restored? Here's what we know so far -- and what's at stake. @science.org www.science.org/content/arti...
An AI model tried its best to predict the next #pope, but there's just not enough data about the secretive #conclave process. My story in @science.org www.science.org/content/arti...
AI predicted the next pope. Did it get it right?
Researchers use algorithms to study political factions within the Catholic Church
science.org
I love how my transcription software, MacWhisper, faithfully transcribes my space heater and dog commands when I forget to turn the recorder off. (It's a great program tho and @jordi.bsky.social seems like a cool guy)
The NIH is now halting ALL funds to Harvard and other universities, but grant managers can't tell them about it. So we at @sciencemag.org did instead. www.science.org/content/arti...
NIH freezes funds to Harvard and four other universities, but can’t tell them
Move follows broader White House attack on Harvard funding and stop-work orders to contractors
science.org
The NINDS scientists fired in the RIF are back at work - for now - after a "coding error" led to their accidental termination. HHS blames "broken systems left to us by the Biden administration." My story @science.org www.science.org/content/arti...
After ‘coding error’ triggers firings, top NIH scientists called back to work
Neuroscience institutes tells 10 scientists placed on leave it’s working on a “long-term” solution to officially reinstating them
science.org
"It’s kind of a textbook case of arbitrary and capricious.” A lawsuit alleges that NIH didn't follow proper procedure and was unconstitutionally vague when abruptly terminating >600 grants. My story @science.org www.science.org/content/arti...
Lawsuit aims to overturn many NIH grant terminations
Multiple groups and NIH-funded scientists challenge agency’s decision as arbitrary and capricious
science.org
One high level HHS official shown the door told @science.org, “I couldn’t have worked with these asshats anyway.” www.science.org/content/arti...
Trump administration purges U.S. health agency leaders
Reassignment letters come as reductions in force begin at NIH, FDA, and CDC
science.org
From a source at NIH who survived today's 1300 or so firings: "Today has sucked big ass donkey balls."
'Bloodbath' at NIH and Elsewhere at HHS Begins
Splinter is your home for news and opinions that challenge power in our political and economic system that's becoming more unhinged each and every day.
splinter.com
"We spent all this money on this research and we’re not even going to be able to give taxpayers the outcomes." DOGE's cuts to NIH grants may save money on paper, but terminating studies without notice ultimately wastes money, our analysis shows. @science.org www.science.org/content/arti...
Are terminations of NIH grants wasting billions of taxpayer dollars?
DOGE argues killing grants saves money, but a Science analysis suggests more than $1.4 billion in sunk research costs may produce few results
science.org
Exclusive from me and Jon Cohen @science.org: NIH is terminating nearly 1000 grants in a series of batches. One, which conducts HIV and TB clinical trials in South Africa, was labelled as a "DEI" study that "harms the health of Americans." www.science.org/content/arti...
“Orchestrated assault”: New tsunami of NIH grant cuts hits South Africa hard
Agency moves to terminate nearly 1000 awards, including programs involving “DEI”
science.org
The NIH is cancelling dozens of grants involving vaccines, including a project that studied whether the COVID vax is safe for breastfeeding mothers. mRNA vaccine research is next on the chopping block. Story @science.org www.science.org/content/arti...
NIH to ax grants on vaccine hesitancy, mRNA vaccines
Move reflects vaccine skepticism of health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
science.org
