Katherine Bourzac

Exclusive: Key US infectious-diseases centre to drop pandemic preparation Staff members have been instructed to scrub this topic and ‘biodefense’ from the agency’s website.

The NIAID is expected to deprioritize biodefense and pandemic preparedness in an overhaul of its funded research projects

go.nature.com/4kBhiRT

This is how it's done: put the truth right there in the headline and sub headline.

Can confirm: steer clear. Saw this just before my call with them….call lasted 2 minutes.

Thanks for sharing this, I got an email from them and was wondering if it is legit... Yikes!

Synchronization of women’s menstruation with the Moon has decreased but remains detectable when gravitational pull is strong In modern times, menstrual cycles run in synchrony with the Moon only during Perihelion and Minor Lunar Standstills.

A new #ScienceAdvances study found a correlation between menstrual periods and the Moon’s cycles—and observed that the strength of this relationship waned from 2010 onward, potentially due to the spread of artificial LED light. https://scim.ag/46VWcZe

US serial killer case opens door to using cutting-edge DNA data in courts New York trial could set a legal precedent by admitting findings from whole-genome sequencing as evidence.

The ruling paves the way for whole-genome sequencing to be admitted as evidence in US criminal trials

go.nature.com/4nQjENj

Will the public support basic science? A new non-profit aims to find out The Science Foundation seeks donations to fund ten $10,000 ‘what if’ seed grants.

“We need to give young scientists hope that people continue to believe in the value of science,” says @sciencefoundation.bsky.social’s founders Maren Friesen and @signalvsnoise.bsky.social.

My latest story for @nature.com.

Peter Thiel Antichrist lecture: We asked guests what the hell it is We didn’t get a ticket to see Peter Thiel talk, but we did speak with attendees about what the hell happened.

Peter Thiel gets roasted to hell & back in this amazing @sfstandard.com story.

Pro Tip: Thiel should fire his entire staff—and all of his dumb friends—for allowing him to pursue this fanatical fiasco!

Great reporting by @eshugs.bsky.social and Garrett Leahy.

sfstandard.com/2025/09/16/p...

Can Fighting Racism Help Prevent Alzheimer’s? Scientists Think So Black Americans face a significantly higher risk of Alzheimer’s and other dementias than white Americans. Researchers are working to find out why that is and how to intervene

Black Americans face a significantly higher risk of Alzheimer’s and other dementias than white Americans. Researchers are working to find out why that is and how to intervene

Yay! @bourzac.bsky.social 's reporting is so comprehensive and well-written! The section on how microbes contribute to rain is so wild! (I had no idea!!)

Microbes Also Change the Climate. Could That Help Us? | Quanta Magazine A collection of short dispatches from the field of climate microbiology conveys the contributions that single-celled life forms make to our climate system, and how we can work with them to address cli...

"Pseudomonas and other microbes are released into the atmosphere from plants along with water vapor. The theory: rainfall these microbes induce benefits the plants, a bioprecipitation cycle." Such a cool story by @bourzac.bsky.social @quantamagazine.bsky.social www.quantamagazine.org/microbes-als...

So excited this story is out today! Learn about the invisible world of microbes, nature's chemists, and how we might work with them to address climate change. Microbes live in ice, they help make it rain, support tremendous ocean ecosystems that capture carbon, and much more.

Chemists cram record nine metals into trendy 2D material MXenes, distant cousins of graphene, reach new heights of complexity — opening the way for use in advanced batteries and more.

MXenes, distant cousins of graphene, reach new heights of complexity — opening the way for use in advanced batteries and more

go.nature.com/3Vmb0Kp

Today I will be doing a Q&A special on #vaccines especially respiratory virus vaccines : #RSV, #COVID, #Flu.
For the next 24 hours drop your questions in reply to this post and I will do my best to answer them and clear up some of the confusion around changing guidance.
#AskAnIDDoc

Hot news on this glowing-plants beat :)

The White House Is Its Own Media Outlet The Trump administration is publishing articles that are top-ranked on Google News.

When Dhrumil Mehta and C.J. Robinson searched "Is DC safe?", the top Google News result was a White House article.
www.cjr.org/analysis/the... @dmil.bsky.social @towcenter.bsky.social

Great piece by Katherine Bourzac celebrating 100 years since Heisenberg’s monumental paper that finally cut the umbilical cord that physicists had tried to maintain with a quasi-classical approach to quantum theory.

www.aps.org/apsnews/2025...

@bourzac.bsky.social

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I am so glad you are enjoying it! I read the second book immediately after the first and I'm eager for the rest to be translated.

Blood of man who’s had 200 snake bites helps make a potent antivenom Treatment combines existing drug with antibodies from hyper-immune reptile collector, raising both hopes and ethical concerns.

Scientists have made a potent antivenom using antibodies from a man who has been bitten hundreds of times by venomous snakes.

https://go.nature.com/3EVLR4k

Imagine how many spiders he must eat in his sleep

National Association of Science Writers - ScienceWriters2025 Session Proposals Submit an NASW session proposal  (No speaker commitments needed at this stage!) Each year, member volunteers with the NASW Programs Committee work hard to develop a slate of professional development sessions that reflects the broad and varied interests of our membership. The chosen sessions directly reflect the depth, breadth, and quality of proposals received. Topics and Audience We rely on your efforts to ensure a diversity of topics so that all members — educators, journalists, public information officers, staffers, freelancers, students, writers, editors, broadcasters, podcasters, early career, late career, first-time registrants, and frequent attendees — can find something, and ideally many things, to pique their interest. Sessions can be targeted at a specific experience level (e.g., a master class or a workshop for beginners); a specific job role (e.g., investigative journalists, multimedia producers, institutional writers, newsroom leaders, fact checkers ); a specific type of writing or practice area (e.g., narratives, infographics, news writing, video/radio scripts); or they can be creatively designed in such a way as to be more broadly applicable to the larger mission and shared interests of all NASW members. Format We encourage applicants to consider different session formats (e.g. multi-person panel; interactive breakouts) and any needs/limitations for audio/visual technology and accessibility. Please also consider whether you are open to leading your session either for the November in person program or the October virtual program. (For an idea of previous session offerings, visit the archived programs at www.sciencewritersmeeting.org) Speakers In addition to encouraging diversity in topics, the Programs Committee seeks a wide range of voices on the program. While we realize that applicants may not be able to confirm panelists before a proposal has been accepted, proposals should demonstrate that thought has been given toward identifying potential speakers — with the following guidelines in mind to support a diverse and inclusive conference: As a general rule, speakers should appear in only one session at the conference. (The Programs Committee will alert organizers if the same speaker has been identified for different sessions.) We strongly encourage proposals that include speakers who have not participated in recent sessions. We aim to create a program whose participants are diverse in multiple facets. Any proposed sessions should include speakers from underrepresented groups and showcase diversity in job roles (both within and outside the field of science writing) and geographic location (both within and outside the U.S.). Any proposed session with a panel that lacks diversity considerations will receive a lower score and be less likely to be picked. Limited funding is available for speaker travel and such funding is intended to attract those who would not otherwise attend the meeting. Limited travel funding is also available for session organizers where there is financial need. The Experience Organizing a workshop can be a fun and valuable experience that connects you with science writers and experts in other fields. You don't need to be an expert yourself, although you are welcome to include yourself as a speaker in any proposals.. Successful proposals will be notified by mid May. Details of the session and confirmed speaker list will be due in late June. Organizers and speakers receive complimentary registration to the meeting.

WEEKEND INSPO: Have a session idea for #SciWri25? Now that a new location and dates are set, we've re-opened the proposal portal for a few days.

Submit a virtual or in-person session idea by May 5 at 11:00 ET:
nasw.submittable.com...

Thanks to this bunny for peeking around the corner of all the bad news in the feed

Wow, I'll put it on the list!

I also loved how she kept writing letters she didn't send. That made her feel more like a real person. And maybe the stereotype version of herself is something of a fantasy since it seems pretty clear she is not really controlling her family and never actually sees them?

Earlier in April, NOAA released the global concentration of CO2 for 2024 which was 422.7 ppm.

CO2 concentrations grew by 3.7 ppm which was far and away the biggest increase on record.

Why? Well, usually there is a story at NOAA that explains...Not this year though.
gml.noaa.gov/ccgg/trends/...

She did seem to be very specifically and stereotypically Jewish while also very specifically herself. I was curious what you thought Olga! I did come to love her with the Cavalcade of Hats.

Exclusive: Trump team freezes new NSF awards — and could soon axe hundreds of grants The National Science Foundation is the latest US agency to be disrupted by Elon Musk’s DOGE.

While I was trying to wrangle reports of signs of life beyond Earth, @dangaristo.bsky.social was reporting on how ALL NEW RESEARCH GRANTS ARE BEING FROZEN AT THE NSF 🧪

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Why women experience Alzheimer’s disease differently from men Sex and gender research could lead to better, more equitable treatments — if it is allowed to continue without political interference.

"We have far to go and more to do" - thanks Katherine Bourzac @bourzac.bsky.social at @nature.com for including me in this thoughtful piece and highlighting our work on the X chromosome. Why women experience #Alzheimer’s disease differently from men www.nature.com/articles/d41...