Chase Francis

Graph of award probability of R35 and R01 from NIH factbook as a function of review rank percentile. As is apparent, 2025 is a significant departure, with lower award probabilities at all scores <40 and significant departures from norm, where even being in the top 10% is no longer a nearly certain indicator of success. Data source: https://report.nih.gov/nihdatabook/report/302

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.

Stark Divide: Americans More Confident in Career Scientists at U.S. Health Agencies Than Leaders | The Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania When it comes to reliable health information, Americans are more confident in federal health agencies' career scientists than their leaders.

A new Annenberg poll shows Americans trust federal career scientists and independent medical groups more than in the political leaders running U.S. health agencies
www.annenbergpublicpolicycenter.org/stark-divide...

Anna Vignoles – Research: a collective endeavour In this Expeditions video, Anna Vignoles, Director of the Leverhulme Trust, dispels the myth of the scholar being an island and shares why we need to recognise research as a collective endeavour

This #InternationalWomensDay, we are proud to share a spotlight on Professor @annavignoles.bsky.social, the first woman to be appointed Director of the Leverhulme Trust. In this @expeditions.bsky.social video, she shares why we need to recognise research as a collective endeavour.

When someone says „Scientists do not want you to know“ you can dismiss everything from there on. Scientists want you to know. They are desperate that you know. They can’t shut up about what they found out and want you to know.

Line graph of the number new and competitive renewal grants funded by NIH in fiscal year 2026 through February 20, compared to fiscal years 2020-2025. The fiscal year 2026 is well below the other curves.

New and Competitive Renewals

Only 803 grants have been made compared to ~2650 in fiscal years 2023 and 2024 through February 20.

All institutes and centers (include OD now) have made awards except NIAAA, NLM, NCCIH, and FIC.

3/4

How to stop a dictator I spent months studying how authoritarians like Trump lose. The answer is shockingly simple.

I have spent the past several months studying the cutting-edge research on modern democracies that have defeated authoritarian leaders.

I've learned that the conventional wisdom on the topic is wrong — in ways that have clear implications for the US going forward

THREAD www.vox.com/politics/479...

Told the bot to go shove it after clicking on a doodle and it insisted I was stressed about planning my Chinese new year celebration, followed by terrible hosting tips.

Lewis Black Unaccompanied Minors GIF ALT: Lewis Black Unaccompanied Minors GIF

Last rant (for the day) about the "Reclaiming Science" MAHA event.

Deputy Director Memoli (who was described as running NIH inside whereas Director Bhattacharya handles external issues [Narrator: Normally, the NIH Director does not delegate NIH management] participated in a panel discussion.

1/16

If I had a dollar for every dopamine paper published in Nature, my lab would be funded

On Being American DHS and The Soul of the United States

Here. I couldn't think of anything better to say.

othermeans.io/p/on-being-a...

Exclusive: key NIH review panels due to lose all members by the end of 2026 Thirteen of the agency’s advisory councils, which must review grant applications before funding is awarded, are on track to have no voting members.

🚨 New from me: Grant review at more than half of NIH's institutes could be frozen by the end of the year.

That's because crucial NIH grant-review panels are slated to be empty at those institutes by Jan 2027.

A wonky bureaucratic problem with big implications.

A short 🧵

The image shows milk dripping down the windscreen of a car with a surprised driver. Clip from it's always sunny where Dennis Reynolds spills a bowl of cereal in his car while stopping rapidly at a stoplight.

This Brazilian woman hates AI

With Flu Rates Soaring, Why Did RFK’s CDC Stop Recommending The Vaccine For Kids? "There is no scientific evidence supporting the change in recommendations,” one expert told HuffPost.

“This is but another cannon shot at a load-bearing wall in the U.S. vaccination program”.

I appreciated speaking with HuffPost today about RFK Jr. changing the CDC’s vaccine recommendations.

I also said that I do not believe these changes reflect guidance from expert CDC scientists.

Just gonna say this again for games sphere cus we get the same question:

Networking doesn't mean schmoozing up to famous people, it means making friends with your peers. Then in 10 years, 20, one of you might be famous? And sure you're still helping each other cus well yeah friends.

Make. Friends.

Casual reminder that the myth of “pulling yourself up by your bootstraps” is a cruel hoax designed to convince poor people from all walks of life that the injustices they face are a result of their own actions, rather than an oppressive system rigged against them.

Brutal but effective public health messaging from New York Public Health.

The CDC is compromised. They’re no longer a reliable source of information.

They push anti-vaxx & anti-science grift.

Get your vaccines. Wear a respirator. Clean the air

Get public health advice from experts, not RFK Jr

The man who is unwilling to wear a flu mask usually is of the kind who expects everybody to listen to him when he speaks

Indianapolis Star, November 22, 1918

Support Skype a Scientist! By Skype a Scientist

At @skypeascientist.bsky.social we were able to give out more grant funding than we took in this year, thanks to people who support us!

That grant funding went to 13 science communicators across the country on their in-person projects.

YOU can support us here: givebutter.com/SupportSAS25

Make accessible colour combinations a breeze. I'm not sure if there's a tool I recommend more often than this one.

inklusivo.nl/blog/make-yo...

Tell your members of Congress that it's time to stand with science, or they have to go. Defunding the NIH isn't just costing researchers their jobs, it will cost Americans their lives.

We're leading the charge to hold them accountable on this front. Join us at standupforscience.net

December 5, 2025 Dear Colleague: We are writing to reaffirm our commitment to ensuring widespread access to vaccines in Maryland and to following evidence-based vaccination guidance, including to the extensive evidence that supports the safety and effectiveness of routine administration of hepatitis B vaccine to newborns and completing the full vaccination series in accordance with the American Academy of Pediatrics' Recommended Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule. As detailed in a statement by the Northeast Public Health Collaborative, of which Maryland is a member, hepatitis B is a viral infection that attacks the liver and can cause both acute and chronic disease, including cirrhosis, liver failure, liver cancer, and death.' Hepatitis B infection is particularly devastating to infants? Of infants infected with the virus in the first year of life, 90% develop chronic hepatitis B. One in four people infected with hepatitis B virus during childhood die from liver cirrhosis or liver cancer in later life. This can be prevented by vaccination. The hepatitis B vaccine has been tested extensively for safety and efficacy, and when administered within 24 hours of birth (birth dose), is highly effective in preventing newborn infection. Hepatitis B vaccine has a strong safety profile, with adverse effects that are typically mild and transient. According to post-licensure monitoring, the most frequently reported reactions include localized pain, erythema, or swelling at the injection site, as well as low-grade fever and fatigue, all of which generally resolve within 24-48 hours. Large meta-analyses and systematic reviews that include millions of children have consistently found no link between vaccines and autism. 5,6 Severe adverse reactions are estimated to occur at a rate of 1.1 per million doses, consistent with the overall rate of anaphylaxis to vaccines.? Among healthy infants, 25%, 63% and 95% achieve anti-HBs levels ≥10 mlU/mL after the first,

Sad that it was necessary but grateful to be in a state that is a member of Northeast Public Health Collaborative to provide clear, evidence based recommendations to clinicians and the patients they care fore

Analysis: OpenAI is a loss-making machine, how can it survive? Don't call it a bubble! Loss-making monster OpenAI is on the hook for $1.4 trillion (with a T) in compute commitments. How can this go on?

"All of this falls apart if humans don't adopt the tech. This is why you've seen Meta cram its lame chatbots into WhatsApp and Instagram. This is why Notepad and Paint now have useless Copilot buttons on Windows. This is why Google Gemini wants to "help you" read and reply to your emails."

‘Nature’s original engineers’: scientists explore the amazing potential of fungi Unique properties of fungi have led to groundbreaking innovations in recent years, from nappies to electronics

The future is fungal

www.theguardian.com/science/2025...

Continued damage to scientific independence from political interference - NIH is now asserting the authority to terminate any grant at any time, for any reason, at the discretion of the awarding agency. (grants.nih.gov/grants/guide...).

HHS devises legal playbook for future grant terminations, internal memo shows Exclusive: HHS devises a legal playbook for future research grant terminations, an internal memo shows.

Update on a significant development NIH grant terms.

On 10/1, a change to grant making regs went into effect that gives NIH more power to terminate grants for policy reasons.

But to use this power, new grant terms must include specific language. See @aniloza.bsky.social w/ the story from July.

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Young brain researchers ponder other careers amid federal funding cuts Cuts and disruptions to federal research funding are causing many young brain scientists to reconsider their career choice.

On NPR's nationally syndicated radio program "All Things Considered," three SfN members speak about the funding and career challenges facing the neuroscience community.

🔗 vist.ly/4enax

#NeuroAdvocate #SfN25 #neurosky #neuroskyence

Superior colliculus projections drive dopamine neuron activity and movement but not value To navigate dynamic environments, animals must rapidly integrate sensory information and respond appropriately to gather rewards and avoid threats. It is well established that dopamine (DA) neurons in...

Check out our latest, online now at @sfnjournals.bsky.social www.jneurosci.org/content/earl...

Director Bhattacharya "Let's fund emerging investigators"

Yeah, who's the idiot running NIH who allowed 15% or few fewer early stage investigators be funded in FY2025 compared to FY2024?

(Estimate: The official numbers are not yet available (at least publicly)

The Next Terrorist Attack And What Comes After (Updated)

Far more frightening than anything Halloween-related is pondering what @timothysnyder.bsky.social writes on here. open.substack.com/pub/snyder/p...