O'Neill, an investor in anti-aging technology who worked on HHS policy, would be the first non-scientist or engineer to lead NSF. His background will be a 'major concern' to the science and technology community, former NSF director Neal Lane told me.
@maxkozlov.bsky.social and I report:
Ah, yes, the invaluable wisdom of the markets.
A new lawsuit alleges Google’s chatbot sent a Florida man on missions to find an android body it could inhabit. When that failed, it set a suicide countdown clock for him. www.wsj.com/tech/ai/gemi...
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the US military carried out a strike against an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka. Follow live updates here: reut.rs/4ramoWW
Bookcover of Air-Borne by Carl Zimmer. A rainbow cloud centered.
Excellent book on the history of the science of the air we breathe. Great examination of the causes of some of the early uncertainty of how COVID spread.
#booksky #bookreview
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
@carlzimmer.com
"The biomedical research community is facing the prospect of major funding disruptions again this year." www.science.org/content/arti...
Stanley Plotkin had a major hand in the development of a number of vaccines in use today; he designed the rubella vaccine. He remembers the world before widespread use of vaccines & knows what's coming as vaccine policy is rewritten & vaccine confidence is eroded. www.statnews.com/2026/03/02/s...
A line graph showing NSF grant awards made through 2/27/26 for fiscal year 2026 compared with grant awards for fiscal years 2021-2025.
NSF Update (Awards through 2/27/26)
Directorates to follow
1/10
Study finds ChatGPT Health did not recommend a hospital visit when medically necessary in more than half of cases. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Congress rejected massive cuts to US science budgets for 2026, but much of the money still isn’t flowing to researchers.
The culprit? The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is quietly slow-walking the release of funds. 🧵👇
Cases of #measles have surged in 2026 with 1,270 cases reported, new detections in wastewater across states in areas without confirmed cases showing signs of spread.
Check out this week's #TrackingReport to learn more about measles and other outbreaks from this week.
mailchi.mp/messages/pan...
"Contrary to assumptions of post-acute recovery, Long COVID is associated with progressively widening healthcare costs over five years." Preprint from Massachusetts General Hospital researchers: www.medrxiv.org/content/10.6...
Here's a nice clear explainer of the new Neanderthal study, by @carlzimmer.com, including commentary from a range of experts in population genomics & paleoanthropology. 👇
Neanderthals, modern humans, and the rules of attraction. Here's my story on a tantalizing study on mating preferences as far back as 250,000 years ago. Gift link: nyti.ms/4bcNzvy
Del Bigtree, a longtime ally of RFK Jr., says he wants not only his own children to contract measles, but others as well. www.theatlantic.com/health/2026/...
"The Cyclops," painted by Odilon Redon, 1914. Via Wikipedia
The origin of our eyes over half a billion years ago is looking more and more weird--from a cyclops to four eyes to two. Here's my story (gift link): nyti.ms/4rzisQP
Wake up and smell the roses. This tiny, mighty, microscopic captain is a distant part of our human origin story.
Hell yeah look at that little guy go
On mitochondria definitely
Scientists have seen Asgard archaea crawling for the first time. When it comes to the origin of eukaryotes, this is like seeing a feathered dinosaur in the wild. (Video courtesy of Philipp Ralder)
Thanks! Fixing now.
A pilot in a submersible vehicle collecting sediments samples in 30 meters of water looking for Asgards (microbial relatives of eukaryotes)
One of the biggest questions in biology is how complex cells evolved about 2 billion years ago. Here's my new story on how scientists are solving the mystery of eukaryotes like us. Gift link: nyti.ms/4qMbo22
One of the biggest questions in biology is how complex cells evolved about 2 billion years ago. Here's my new story on how scientists are solving the mystery of eukaryotes like us. Gift link: nyti.ms/4qMbo22
For my latest for @opinion.bloomberg.com, wrote about RFK Jr.'s disastrous first year as health secretary:
“It’s like going to battle with half your generals in place.” Of the 27 institutes and centers that make up NIH, 16 were missing permanent directors as of Friday, when staff received news of the latest departure. www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
The EPA has considered these comments and, in this final action, is not finalizing the alternative climate science rationale and is not finalizing new findings by the Administrator with respect to global climate change concerns under CAA section 202(a)(1). The EPA does not rely on any specific critique of climate science as a necessary justification for this action. Given our conclusion that we lack legal authority to regulate in response to global climate change concerns under CAA section 202(a)(1), it would be unnecessary and inappropriate to resolve such questions in this regulatory context. The EPA includes this section to summarize major scientific themes commenters raised and to acknowledge that scientific research and debate about climate change will continue. This discussion does not endorse or reject any particular assessment, study, or comment letter in the docket with respect to assertions regarding global climate change science and has limited its responses to the bases being finalized in this final action. The EPA’s conclusion in this final action is limited to the legal determination that CAA section 202(a) does not provide the authority to regulate GHG emissions from new motor vehicles or new motor vehicle engines for the purpose of addressing global climate change concerns, irrespective of how ongoing scientific debates are ultimately resolved.
As expected, in the final rule, EPA's Endangerment Finding repeal backs down entirely from challenging the science, choosing to focus on statutory arguments regarding EPA's authority. Good work, everyone who contributed to the @andrewdessler.com review!
Breaking News: The Trump administration repealed the bedrock scientific finding that greenhouse gases threaten human life and well being, meaning that the EPA can no longer regulate them. nyti.ms/4rSszQu
Over of the book "Air-borne: The hidden history of the life we breathe" by Carl Zimmer. Book cover is blue with a multi-coloured cloud in the middle.
Just finished this fantastic book, "Air-Borne". One piece Carl Zimmer understands about science is that it is fundamentally a human endeavor. At its best, it builds on the previous works of others, in other cases the interplay of society and personalities shapes how it does or does not advance.
We're using it. Nobody should expect a step forward to complete a long journey, but this is a significant step forward and should be celebrated.
We only understand the 1.2% of the human genome that encodes genes. AlphaGenome is a tool towards understanding the remaining 98.8%.
I wrote today about AlphaGenome, Google DeepMind's AI for DNA. It's powerful, experts told me, but it won't solve the mysteries of the genome overnight. Gift link: nyti.ms/4k5NFIl
