Sarah Braner

oh that's *dangerous.* i feel the siren's call of scandinavian fish candies again...

i've had to be on a swedish fish hiatus for years now because the craving was getting really out of control, and i'm brave enough to admit that to you all. but swedish fish supremacy

I think I might've woken up in the middle of the night muttering "MOFs"

The 2025 chemistry Nobel goes to MOFs Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar M. Yaghi win the prize for developing metal–organic frameworks

It's the holey grail of chemistry awards! The moment many chemists (including a good chunk of @cenmag.bsky.social staff) have been waiting for!

MOFs finally got a Nobel Prize!

Read more in this story by my amazing colleague Prachi Patel:
cen.acs.org/people/nobel...

Nobel week is basically the super bowl for science journalists, and @sarahbraner.bsky.social (with @laurahowes.bsky.social & @maxhenrybarnhart.bsky.social) gave us a strong opening play with their coverage of the med+physio prize!
(did i get the sports metaphor right?)

calling it now: i don't think glp-1 will win for chemistry but i DO think it'll win physiology or medicine. check c&en monday morning to see if some of laura's clairvoyance has passed down to me!

last time she totally called it so... you should probably see this one

i know i'm preaching to the choir, but people with autism or adhd are not tragedies to be cured. they're not heroes or martyrs - just people. you cannot prevent or cure autism or adhd. the only thing that comes from avoiding acetaminophen and vaccines because of autism or adhd is pain and sickness.

i didn't include this because i wanted to keep the story relatively focused, but if you didn't hear trump, and his sycophants also brought up vaccines causing autism. again, in my opinion, this is absolutely abhorrent.

you cannot prevent a child from developing autism or adhd, and in my opinion, the fervor around trying to reduce these conditions or even reverse (! good luck) them is misguided at best and malicious at worst. from what i saw last night, we're far from misguided.

RFK Jr.’s claim that Tylenol causes autism has no backing Genetic factors are far more likely to influence a child’s later diagnosis

i know there's already another bonkers speech to unpack (or ignore, which is always a viable option imo!) but i wrote about *last night's* bonkers press conference about acetaminophen during pregnancy: cen.acs.org/policy/RFK-J...

Trailblazers A yearly feature celebrating diversity in chemistry.

trailblazers is one of my favorite things we do at c&en! and if you want even more trailblazing, you can read past profiles here: cen.acs.org/explore/inte...

if you're looking for some weekend reads, we've published our annual trailblazers series! this year, we highlighted some amazing chemists with disabilities. a belated congratulations to @mannyfoxmorone.bsky.social and @kvasquez.bsky.social for getting this out!

And this was published only hours before the CDC chaos!

8 chemists with disabilities who left their mark on history Scientists with disabilities ascended to the forefronts of their fields long before labs were accessible and civil rights were codified

Did you know Dorothy Hodgkin had a disability? I did not! This is a little taster before @cenmag.bsky.social drops our big Trailblazers package featuring chemists with disabilities in Sept: cen.acs.org/careers/dive...

New Normal Living at wildfires' edge

As human habitation expands into undeveloped areas, homes and businesses creep closer to forests, grasslands, and scrub. In this series, we examine the unique chemistry of these fires and how it might affect air quality and human health: cen.acs.org/environment/... #forestfires #chemsky 🧪

oh my GOD i forgot i was going to make "it's frickin bats" my own post so thank you for being the one to say it!!

Could bats help us fight the very diseases they give us? Bats’ unique physiology provides ample opportunities—and research difficulties

na na na na na na na na na, bat labs
cen.acs.org/biological-c...

Measles cases are rising. Here’s a deep dive into 6 key questions Experts tell C&EN whether the measles virus can mutate, how durable the vaccine is, and more

also while you're on our NEWLY REDESIGNED WEBSITE, check out this measles q&a from @maxhenrybarnhart.bsky.social and (new editorial fellow!) elizabeth walsh! featuring some actually good news about how durable the existing vaccines are
cen.acs.org/biological-c...

so shiny, so chrome

go vote and stay cool!! tldr, if you registered between 6/9 - 6/14 it may not show up in the system. but your affidavit vote WILL count - i forgot to update my residential address (🤦‍♂️) and the poll workers were super kind and helpful! it just might take a bit longer but it's extremely worthwhile.

true to the account's purpose, i have no idea what the context is here but yeah uhh don't cross me i'm tall and i know how to fight. definitely. i'm sure someone will back me up on this

Chairs of 36 US chemistry departments call to restore funding Open letter in <i>Science</i> says federal policy decisions ‘threaten the strength of the US research enterprise’

From @maxhenrybarnhart.bsky.social: 36 chem department chairs have published an open letter calling out recent federal policy decisions impacting science.

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

#ChemSky @cenmag.bsky.social

So excited to have Delfi joining us this summer!! We'll be publishing her first Sick Times story next week.

Tear gas: Chemistry, dispersal methods, and effects Click to enlarge The US government have been busy this week denying that pepper spray is a chemical (spoiler, it is a chemical). They've also been at pains to point out that it's not the same as te...

Feels relevant: www.compoundchem.com/2020/06/09/t...

Tear gas and pepper spray: What protesters need to know Experts discuss the use and chemistry of the riot-control agents and how to neutralize their effects

Back in 2020, when protesters gathered around the country calling for the end of police brutality and were met with tear gas and pepper spray, my colleague @craigofwaffles.bsky.social reported on the chemistry of such riot-control agents. The story still seems pertinent: cen.acs.org/policy/chemi...

NIH staff break ranks in open letter to Director Jay Bhattacharya Bethesda Declaration urges reversal of recent policies, including funding cuts

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

At Columbia, dismay among chemical scientists Some have already lost grants, while others fear for students and future funding

Lots of people are keeping silent, because lots of people are scared. But my colleague Aayushi Pratap found a group of chemists at Columbia willing to talk about what's going on in the labs they lead. Her story, and Natalie Keyssar's portraits, are worth your time.

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

A couple of us on the science reporting team decided to start skeeting out some of the weird things our coworkers say on Slack!

The MAHA Report Cites Studies That Don’t Exist The Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” report misinterprets some studies and cites others that don’t exist, according to the listed authors.

RFK Jr. says his “Make America Healthy Again” Commission report harnesses “gold-standard” science.

Its citations, however, are rife with errors, from broken links to misstated conclusions -- and seven of the cited sources don't appear to exist at all.