Laura Dattaro

Meet three scientists who said no to Epstein The warning signs included a web search, a mother’s doubts, and inklings of a “sexist attitude”

Really smart and important angle from @policyhound.bsky.social

www.science.org/content/arti...

This is such a fascinating and well-reported story.

Why rejecting the endangerment finding also rejects climate science Climate denial as US policy is ‘chilling,’ scientists say, but there’s still more that science can do

Scientists and policy experts say that by revoking the endangerment finding, the Donald J. Trump administration has reached a dangerous milestone in dismissing, ignoring, or directly contradicting scientific information in its policy decisions. cen.acs.org/policy/chemi...

#chemsky 🧪

Hi #chemsky! If you're navigating the NIH grant application process right now—or if you decided not to—I'd love to hear from you.

Email: LDattaro@proton.me
Signal: LDattaro.73

Antibiotics can treat appendicitis for many patients, no surgery needed After 10 years, just over half the people in a trial of antibiotics for appendicitis have not needed an appendectomy.

More than half of people who receive antibiotics to treat appendicitis do not see their disease come back 10 years after the initial illness, a new study shows.
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/antibiotics-appendicitis-no-surgery

Antibiotics can treat appendicitis for many patients, no surgery needed After 10 years, just over half the people in a trial of antibiotics for appendicitis have not needed an appendectomy.

In a tiny bit of good news, long-term followup on the first trial of antibiotics for appendicitis shows that fewer than half of participants ended up needing surgery, even a decade later.

My latest for @sciencenews.bsky.social

www.sciencenews.org/article/anti...

Live updates: Trump's EPA revokes scientific finding that underpinned US fight against climate change The Trump administration revoked a scientific finding at the center of U.S. action to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change, a significant rollback of regulations.

BREAKING: The EPA revokes scientific finding that greenhouse gases endanger the public health, removing a key basis for the climate change fight.

This image shows a logo of The Washington Post Guild and our statement: The Post Guild vehemently opposes any more cuts to the staff of The Washington Post. As we’ve seen in recent years, continuing to eliminate scores of workers who make this storied institution what it is only stands to weaken the newspaper, drive away readers and undercut The Post’s mission: to hold power to account without fear or favor and provide critical insight into communities across the region, country and world. If Jeff Bezos no longer supports that mission, then The Post and its readers deserve a steward who does. If you value The Post’s journalism and its renowned past — if you care about its future — we ask that you join us in our call to #SaveThePost.

#SaveThePost, Jeff Bezos.

Gladys Mae West obituary: mathematician who pioneered GPS technology She made key contributions to US cold-war science despite facing huge barriers as a Black woman.

No joke: I got angry hate mail today for writing an obituary of a Black woman scientist—because the person felt she did didn’t deserve the recognition.

Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...

A staggering statement from former Washington Post editor Marty Baron: "This ranks among the darkest days in the history of one of the world's greatest news organizations."

EPA limits consideration of health impacts from chemical and turbine rules Recent EPA actions on perchlorate and gas turbines show a key shift in the agency’s regulatory approach

An Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule on emissions from gas turbines is the latest development in a staunch shift in how the agency evaluates the costs and benefits of regulations, analysts say. cen.acs.org/policy/chemi... #chemsky 🧪

#Journorequest: I'm looking to speak to women who use AI chatbots like ChatGPT for health questions and guidance. If you're open to chatting, please send me a message or email. Thank you! sarahsloat9@gmail.com 🧪🧠💬

Read the Save HHS open letter!

www.savehhs.org/letter-we-wi...

An elephant figure on a grainy gray background.

What do you do when you know how to work with biological materials and are experts in 3D printing at small resolutions? Create this 10 µm long elephant inside a living cell, of course. Read more: cen.acs.org/materials/3-...

#CENChemPics #chemsky 🧪

US science after a year of Trump: what has been lost and what remains A series of graphics reveals how the Trump administration has sought historic cuts to science and the research workforce.

Trump has been in office for one year. We at @nature.com did a deep dive looking at the administration's disruption of science in numbers.

Take a look—the numbers are staggering. By me, @dangaristo.bsky.social, Jeff Tollefson, @kimay.bsky.social, & help from @noamross.net @scott-delaney.bsky.social

Committee Releases Conferenced Defense, Homeland Security, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Bi... United States Senate Committee on Appropriations

The conference (agreement between House and Senate) appropriations bill that includes HHS and NIH was released this morning.

www.appropriations.senate.gov/news/majorit...

1/5

Cancer might evade immune defences by stealing mitochondria Hijacking the energy-producing organelles from immune cells seems to help tumours in mice to infiltrate lymph nodes.

Cancer cells not only kill, they also steal. Specifically, they steal mitochondria of immune cells and in this way weaken the immune defense. The main benefit for the tumor cells is that the mitochondria help immune evasion and mobility towards lymph nodes. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Cancer might evade immune defences by stealing mitochondria Hijacking the energy-producing organelles from immune cells seems to help tumours in mice to infiltrate lymph nodes.

Cancer might evade immune defences by stealing mitochondria www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Variation shapes genetics of autism in African Americans Certain gene variants may have greater weight in determining autism likelihood for some populations, a new study shows.

In a first, a preprint describes the genetic architecture of autism in a large cohort of African Americans.

By @ldattaro.bsky.social

www.thetransmitter.org/spectrum/com...

Thanks for replying, Molly! Really any type is fine--I'm looking to hear about how/whether the current federal actions in the area are affecting scientists and/or their work.

@nature.com commentary on @cp-cellmetabolism.bsky.social discovery that tumors hijack energy-producing organelles from immune cells to aid in infiltrating lymph nodes
www.nature.com/articles/d41...

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

I'm looking to get in touch with scientists in Minnesota. Best ways to reach me are here or LDattaro.73 on Signal. Thanks!

#chemsky #neuroskyence

Cancer might evade immune defences by stealing mitochondria Hijacking the energy-producing organelles from immune cells seems to help tumours in mice to infiltrate lymph nodes.

Cancer cells use mitochondria stolen from immune cells to spread and escape detection

go.nature.com/4qsV86K

New from me @nature.com: Cancer cells seem to be using immune system mitochondria to evade detection and spread to the lymph nodes (which are packed with immune cells that should be able to destroy cancer).

Please insert your own powerhouse-of-the-cell joke here.

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

Poster advertising AI and Journalism/Free Speech/Public Discourse event on 2/27/26 at 4 pm at the MIT Welcome Center.

How is AI changing how we communicate and how can we use its tools more ethically? Join us at MIT on Feb. 27 for this important conversation about journalism, free speech, and public discourse -- all currently under threat. Please share; all are welcome.

Uncertainty looms large for US science funding in 2026 Congress seems likely to fund science agencies at close to typical levels, but many questions remain about how the money will be distributed

Congress has reconciled appropriations bills that fund science. But there's still lots of uncertainty around which science will get funded and how. My latest at @cenmag.bsky.social

cen.acs.org/policy/resea...

Federal science agencies dodge big funding cuts for 2026 Recently released appropriations language spares NSF, EPA, and other agencies from Trump’s proposed budget reductions

Congress released reconciled versions of three appropriations bills that will set funding levels for key federal science agencies. Despite minor cuts, Senate Appropriations Committee chair Susan Collins (R-ME) says the bills will “spur scientific research.” cen.acs.org/policy/resea...

#chemsky 🧪

Letter sent to @vtdigger.bsky.social! It should go without saying that journalism needs journalists.

Congrats Shannon!

Counting the costs of our broken #FoodSystem, in #PublicHealth and environmental conditions