chasingmicrobes

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.

Lcms trace

Drew a bunch of expensive squiggly lines today

Brian Finucane is a non partisan expert on the laws of war and national security who spent 10 years at the State Dept as an attorney-adviser. Good reasons to follow him considering the straits we're in.

And, because he's a no-b.s. straight shooter.

Follow: @bcfinucane.bsky.social

FDA vaccines chief Vinay Prasad to step down in April The head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's vaccines and biologics unit, Dr. Vinay Prasad, ​will leave the agency at the end of April, ‌a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and Hum...

Hey, great news gang! Vinay Prasad is out at the FDA.

Again.

Let’s hope it sticks this time.

Stand up For Science National Day of Action · Indivisible Chicago Science is for everyone–and benefits everyone. We are the majority, and we cannot stay silent. Over the past year, the Trump administration has been stripping science for parts, just as they are ero...

We're still standing up for science in Chicago!
Saturday, March 7 at 1pm, Federal Plaza
www.mobilize.us/indivisiblec...

Tylenol orders in pregnant people plummeted after Trump falsely linked the medicine to autism An analysis found that, following Trump’s claim that acetaminophen was linked to autism, orders for the drug for pregnant patients in emergency rooms dropped, while the number of children prescribed a...

Tylenol orders in pregnant people plummeted after Trump falsely linked the medicine to autism www.scientificamerican.com/article/tyle...

US loses 92K jobs in February February's payrolls sharply missed economists' expectations, Labor Department data released Friday showed, with 92,000 positions lost.

Job market is awful
Science is under attack
We've, unpopularly, gone to war
Epstein cover up
ICE/CBP
...
...
...

New World Screwworm Outbreak Current situation on the New World screwworm outbreak in Central America and Mexico.

"As of March 3, 2026, these countries have reported more than 157,000 NWS cases in animals and more than 1,380 cases in people."

Proton Mail Helped FBI Unmask Anonymous ‘Stop Cop City’ Protester A court record reviewed by 404 Media shows privacy-focused email provider Proton Mail handed over payment data related to a Stop Cop City email account to the Swiss government, which handed it to the ...

SCOOP: Proton Mail provided Swiss authorities with payment data that the FBI then used to determine who was allegedly behind an anonymous account affiliated with the Stop Cop City movement in Atlanta, according to a court record reviewed by 404 Media.

I’m so tired of seeing people bash Bluesky for being an echo chamber when X is an actual intentionally constructed echo chamber that is demonstrably radicalizing people across the political spectrum who still use it

HEY YOU!!! There's research WE NEED to PROTECT!

How you ask? We are rallying NATIONWIDE on SATURDAY, MARCH 7TH to SAVE SCIENCE, PROTECT HEALTH, and DEFEND DEMOCRACY!

Join us by visiting standupforscience.net/march7 to find your local rally, volunteer, host a local rally, or host a pop-up protest!

Alt take: Congress has been unable to stop Presidents from going to war since 1945.

The likelihood of someone/some-State having blackmail on Epstein perpetrators is 1000% higher than it was before this news dropped

Reminder, we are not in a CR. There’s an appropriation for the FY. And NIH is working on the Cycle of grants that went to Council *before* the government shutdown last fall.

a man and a woman are standing next to each other in a room . the woman is wearing a red dress . ALT: a man and a woman are standing next to each other in a room . the woman is wearing a red dress .

When you're eating blisteringly hot soup but it has leafy greens that slip from your spoon to slap you on the chin.

With this war on Iran costing $1B per day, we are now at 4$B, an amount that would fund 3,200 five year NIH biomedical research grants.

If a member of Congress thinks war with Iran is so great, they should introduce an AUMF, vote for it, and own that decision.

But simply allowing the executive to usurp Congress's war powers is a complete abdication of constitutional responsibility.

(War with Iran is a bad idea even if authorized.)

Hey #chicago! We're joining the national Day of Action on March 7 to Stand Up for Science @standupforscience.bsky.social

It's time again to show your support for science in the US!

Join me on Saturday in Federal Plaza, Chicago to stand up for science!
📍Federal Plaza, 230 S Dearborn St, Chicago, IL 60604
🗓️ Saturday, March 7th, 1pm
🔗 More information and RSVP www.mobilize.us/indivisiblec...

CONFIRMED SPEAKERS (as of of 3.02.26) Dr. Jack Szostak — Nobel Prize Winner Meaghan Pashen — AFGE Local 704, EPA’s union Dr. Jade Pagkas-Bather — Infectious Disease Physician Paula Fernández Begne — PhD Candidate Anna Lisa Somera — MedTech Founder Kate Calabra — Science fuels Illinois Connor Phillips — Science saved my life Kirsten Straughan — Nutrition Science Dr. Kathryn Macapagal — HIV Prevention Research, ft. in NYTimes Dr. Molly Martin — Pediatrician

Speakers at the Chicago event:

Stand up For Science Rally | Chicago | National Day of Action · Indivisible Chicago Science is for everyone–and benefits everyone. We are the majority, and we cannot stay silent. Over the past year, the Trump administration has been stripping science for parts, just as they are ero...

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Something wild is this is still being led primarily by graduate students and the most vulnerable in the scientific community. It effects all of us. Show up.

Chicago:
www.mobilize.us/indivisiblec...

Nationally:
standupforscience.net/march7

STAND UP FOR SCIENCE CHICAGO ​NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION ​Take back our science, health, and democracy! ​MARCH 7TH, 2026 CHICAGO, IL AND NATIONWIDE! ​STAND UP FOR SCIENCE™ standupforscience.net/march7

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Among other things... The government is still silently withholding appropriated money for science.

There is real damage being done to our current and future health because of actions that are extremely unpopular AS SOON AS PEOPLE HEAR ABOUT THEM.

You can help by raising your voice this weekend

I added a couple features based on my requirements...

Could I write this code myself? Yes.
Could I do it in 5 min? No.

The bioinformatics-dashboard-in-the-cloud companies are pretty screwed.

In ~5min I had Claude write a parser (ugly-as-sin Clariostar kinetic csv export) and interactive results dashboard.

Chimpanzees Are Really Into Crystals

Gift article:

Chimpanzees Are Really Into Crystals

Gift article:

AI will take jobs.
That said, it will also be easy to misplace the blame of unemployment numbers on AI

Governor JB Pritzker pressed the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs Mora Namdar to take immediate federal action to protect Americans stranded in the Middle East following recent U.S. military strikes and responses.

Governor JB Pritzker pressed the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs Mora Namdar to take immediate federal action to protect Americans stranded in the Middle East following recent U.S. military strikes and responses.

Americans are stranded abroad — we all have a responsibility to do everything in our power to safely get them home.

The federal government must immediately provide clear evacuation guidance and plans to leave the region.

I’m calling on the State Department to take action now.