Chris Clapp

Do additional COVID vaccines really help? We've accumulated a lot of scientific evidence in the last few years.

The acting CDC director has now approved ACIP recs allowing anyone 6 months+ to receive an updated Covid-19 shot after discussing w/ their provider. If you are on the fence about getting an updated shot, read my in-depth take on the evidence we've accumulated on these vaccines. #publichealth

It's a great idea, but don't be surprised if you get ref reports written in iambic pentameter.

I just spoke to a fantastic former student who had a job offer rescinded after the new H1-B $100,000 fee policy was announced. "We like you... just not that much."

The impact that this will have on people's lives & harm that this will do to the US economy are both infuriating.

Does Bluey via your sister-in-law's account count?

The letter is ready, thanks to all those who helped out! Starting to gather signature now, please consider signing (link at top of letter) & spread the word.

docs.google.com/document/d/1...

AI use and data centers are causing ComEd bills to spike — and it will likely get worse. blockclubchi.co/4oSSwOS

Anti-Offshore Wind Network | CDL

These were two policy briefings and a peer-reviewed article produced by undergraduates under my supervision in 2023 and 2024. The letter demands that Brown take the work off its websites. Here's the work:

www.climatedevlab.brown.edu/anti-offshor...

Cool RCT of the impact of exercise on cancer outcomes. The effect was big enough that they stopped earlier than their power calculations suggested!

😂 That paper is comedy gold! Definitely going to use it to supplement all of my "off the top of my head" bald examples in class. Thanks for sharing!

Hard to watch. Kudos to journo to getting ghoul REP Tim Burchett to say on air that we can’t afford to help (though we can, and have for years)

Lots of shit.

Walgreens sign that says, “National Hair Loss Awareness Month.”

Just how many bald people who are unaware they’re bald are there?

It's been 2 years (+ 1 month) since I left academia. In case anyone is wondering, I have zero regrets. Indeed, I'm living my best life and am so happy I made the leap.

If you're considering leaving too, here are some thoughts on how to explore your options/find a job you'll love...

Catnip is a hell of a drug!

You gave a cat a bath in an airport sink... & lived to tell the tale?!? Clearly you can do anything.

I would support that use of their time. Deport buckthorn!

Great read on invasive plants in forests around Chicago. TL;DR: they're out of control. 77% of forests have been overrun (see: map) & require constant maintenance.

I did not grow up curling & this pisses me off.

That's great & well-deserved news!!! Congrats!

So every foreign student coming to do a PhD at a US university—some of the best and brightest young minds in the world!—will no longer know they have *permission* to even be in the US until they graduate.

Video or it didn't happen!

a man wearing sunglasses is standing in front of a window with the words today was a good day below him Alt: Ice Cube rapping "today was a good day" from a music video.

Came up w/ a potential instrument to solve an identification issue that was holding a research project back on a call this morning. My rarely exuberant coauthor (& former advisor) said, "that's a really good idea!" multiple times.

I stopped letting my students leave the room before they turn in their finals. I allow for exemptions if students have medical issues. I figured there would be a lot of push-back and/or exemptions when implementing the policy, but there hasn't been.

I just saw someone text & drive… on a motorcycle… on the highway… in Chicago. He was texting with both hands too.

Risk aversion is a heterogeneous thing!

Look on the bright side, it's better than getting it on several hundred floppy disks!

E.P.A. Is Said to Draft a Plan to End Its Ability to Fight Climate Change

I have written about this before, when it was suggested as a possibility shortly after the inauguration. A quick summary here--in short, there's little clever or thoughtful about it, though there is some legal strategy at work, however cynical.

1/n

www.nytimes.com/2025/07/22/c...

This is horrific. And it is happening under our watch (and, even worse, with our assistance).

Gazans Are Dying of Starvation

16 children have died of starvation in Gaza this month alone. I don't have any other words. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/24/w...

An amazing scoop by a 17yo high school journo. A long list of wealthy Trump fans donate to the Republican Party of Guam which then sends $ to RNC. This roundabout route is bc they already maxed out donation limit to RNC.

Some advisor thought nobody would dig into Guam.

But then came Zach Kahn.

A good family friend just got her Green Card! My whole family was together when she called to tell us it was approved a while back, & I don't think I've ever heard so much joy in a person's voice.

I can't put into words how excited I am for her. I can't imagine how she must be feeling. 😀