Heather Randell

Potential five-alarm fire for medical research:

“By downgrading its peer review process, the NIH could allow political appointees who now occupy key positions to stop grants that typically would be funded, and to fund grants they prefer that don’t necessarily meet rigorous scientific standards.”

My kids cheering on the runners in the Twin Cities Marathon.

Cheering squad for the Twin Cities Marathon this morning. I asked my three year old what she wanted to write on her sign, and she said “Love”.

💙🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️🏃🩵

“Sam Altman…debuted his Sora app, which creates alarmingly realistic videos of fake scenes. It could be TikTok with a lot more disinformation. You can use a text prompt to conjure terrorist attacks, election fraud, mass protests, war scenes and, no doubt, disturbing sexual scenarios.”

Opinion | When A.I. Came for Hollywood

Folks, we are so very screwed.

“We’re all dwelling in Uncanny Valley now, staring into our personal screens, not sure what’s real or fake, to the detriment of talking, dating, reading, living.”

Gift link:
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/04/o...

Not just an attack on academic freedom and democracy, but on science and knowledge creation, too. The end of the system where experts even nominally decide on research funding and priorities, replaced with a loyalty oath.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Public Affairs The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Public Affairs offers rigorous, advanced study that prepares researchers to enter academia or join highly respected institutions involved in cutting edge research in ...

📣 I am recruiting PhD student(s) in Public Affairs (Fall '26) at the Humphrey School, University of Minnesota! Come join me to work on Development/ Labor/ Education/ Gender/ ECD/ Inequality - in a top-ranked, fully-funded PhD program! Details: www.hhh.umn.edu/doctor-philo... #EconSky #PoliSky

Jane Goodall, Eminent Primatologist Who Chronicled the Lives of Chimps, Dies at 91

Goodbye to one of my childhood heroes. What a life.

Gift link:
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/01/o...

Florida Man Is Accused of Killing, Cooking and Eating Pet Peacocks

OMG. Not another Florida man.

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/29/u...

I want the ones *not* included in "some" to have to publicly defend their position.

The North Star Promise is just one of those things we have to protect with everything we have.

After dropping during the pandemic, Minnesota universities see an enrollment spike Across the state, colleges and universities are welcoming more freshmen to their campuses this fall. And while they don't have official numbers yet, many are reporting higher than usual enrollment.

This is great news for Minnesota! Enrollment is up across the system thanks to improved recruitment strategies, easier ways to apply, and the “North Star Promise, a new program that makes tuition free for Minnesotans whose families meet certain income requirements.”

www.mprnews.org/story/2025/0...

I think the Trump admin assumed no one would try to find out who the people on the boats they blew up really were

As millions face climate relocation, the nation’s first attempt sparks warnings and regret Three years after a federally funded move, Indigenous residents of Louisiana’s Isle de Jean Charles report broken homes — and promises

This new chapter for former island residents is no fairy tale. They say their new homes are substandard, with rainwater seeping through doorways, malfunctioning appliances and flooded yards causing costly repairs floodlightnews.org/isle-de-jean...

Carolina Sociology is hiring!

• Tenure-track in computational sociology or advanced quantitative methods
• Open rank in population health.

unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/307...
unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/307...

Opinion | China Is the Adult in the Room on Climate Now

“In contrast to the West, where election cycles have constrained consistent climate action, China plays a long game—planning decades into the future. And it doesn’t like to make promises it can’t keep.”

Gift link:
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/26/o...

We went with TruNorth. They were recommended by a friend who works in the solar industry and they’ve been great to work with!

Making strides towards electrifying my home.

Solar panels ✔️
Heat pump water heater ✔️
Mini-splits for heating when it’s not too cold out ✔️

The tax rebates are going away soon but there still may be time to get solar panels this year, and there is certainly time to get energy efficient appliances!

Apples, challah, and honey.

My daughter dipping an apple in honey for Rosh Hashanah.

Shana Tova 🍎🍯

In this coming year may our families be healthy, may our country regain its senses, and may Palestine be free.

Car with a bumper sticker that says “I Break for Tapirs”.

This bumper sticker cheered me up. In this day and age I will take all the tiny moments of joy I can!

It’s a hell of a time to be an academic, but we’ve gotta keep on keeping on in the name of our students 🩷💚🩵

Card from some of my students.

I’m on medical leave this semester and just got a card from some of my students. Their notes reminded me that teaching is the most rewarding of jobs. I’m lucky to get to know students from across the globe who truly believe in the promise of a better world. The kids are alright!

This is fantastic work Colin, and it's nice to see that you collaborated with Chris on it. SESYNC for the win!

"Health losses attributed to anthropogenic climate change," a brief communication in the journal Nature Climate Change. There's a map showing regions of the world, and pie charts of relevant studies as they apply to different health impacts like "heat-related deaths" and "maternal and child health"

🚨 NEW: Climate change is already causing 30,000 deaths per year - a global annual economic loss of $100-350B USD - but the true damage is probably 10x higher. Out TODAY in Nature Climate Change: the first systematic look at the science of "health impact attribution" 🔓 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Low Birth Rates Are Here To Stay | Opinion Individuals and families need to be supported by a strong social safety net that includes paid leave and a robust child care infrastructure. There are no quick fixes.

Having children is a commitment to the future.
And too many people don’t feel secure enough about their lives now or in the future to make that commitment and have the children they’d like.

And until we address that issue, birth rates are unlikely to increase. My op-ed in @newsweek.com.

Charlie Kirk, Redeemed: A Political Class Finds Its Lost Cause By ignoring the rhetoric and actions of the Turning Point USA founder, pundits and politicians are sanitizing his legacy.

Ta-Nehisi Coates has a few choice words about this man and this moment. Whew.

www.vanityfair.com/news/story/c...

San José State University - Details - Assistant Professor - Environmental Studies

The School of Planning, Policy, and Environmental Studies at San José State University is hiring an Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies. We welcome applicants from all fields of environmental studies who apply an environmental justice lens to their work. jobs.sjsu.edu/sj/en-us/job...

NY Times article: Trump Is Shutting Down the War on Cancer.

As an NIH-funded researcher, a woman currently in active treatment for breast cancer, and a human with a soul, I am f*cking furious these days.

Gift link:
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/14/m...

Trump Is Shutting Down the War On Cancer

"America’s 80-year run as the world’s leader of biomedical research — and 50-year run as the global leader of cancer research — may very well be coming to a close, and for no apparent reason"

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/14/m...

NY Times Article: Trump is Shutting Down the War on Cancer.

This should make everyone furious regardless of their politics because guess what?

"As of this writing, some 40 percent of Americans will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their life."

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/14/m...

NY Times article: Trump Is Shutting Down the War on Cancer.

As an NIH-funded researcher, a woman currently in active treatment for breast cancer, and a human with a soul, I am f*cking furious these days.

Gift link:
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/14/m...