David M Morens

Wow! Haven't had a chance to read the whole document (60-some pages and 738 refs!) but at first scan this is a sober "must read". There is even a great short section noting historical antecedents. One Health approaches have rarely been approached in all their complexities. Wonderful! dmm

EPA puts 139 employees on leave after they sign a ‘declaration of dissent’ Letter from workers, which EPA claims is ‘unlawful’, says agency is no longer living up to its mission

Land of the free? Not if you work at EPA & criticize the administrations blatant undermining of environmental protections. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025... EPA puts 139 employees on leave after they sign a ‘declaration of dissent’ | US Environmental Protection Agency | The Guardian

Very depressing to hear that. How can this be happening at NIH? It defies belief.

YouTube video by Democracy Now! Climate Scientist Michael Mann on Deadly Heat Domes Around the World

"Climate Scientist Michael Mann on Deadly Heat Domes Around the World" via @democracynow.org: www.youtube.com/watch?v=_V04...

AJI Weekly Update: "Declaration of Dissent", ASIP Disinformation, "Bethesda Declaration" Dear AJI Community,  Hundreds of workers from the Environmental Protection Agency have issued a statement to administrator Lee Zeldin and Congress members, which outlines the ways in which Zeldin and...

Hope everyone who cares about science, public health and democracy is signing on to these letters. It only takes a few seconds and reminds people that there is resistance out here. sunshine.optout.news/email/5fe450...

If McNutt can’t stand up for science, what is the point of the Academy? Leadership isn’t complicity in your own destruction, nor does “fixing” science mean capitulating to fascism. The pursuit of truth is bigger than the organization or Academy. No confidence vote now.

OMG, wake me up from this nightmare.

NIH Fellows Union Endorses Bethesda Declaration Criticizing Agency Leadership “So far, the director has been unwilling or unable to deliver on his promises.”

Our other story this AM:

The NIH Fellows United union has voted to endorse the Bethesda Declaration, an open letter signed by over 500 current and former agency workers decrying the Trump administration’s policies and NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya’s leadership.

yes, true...

That's a good point. I remember first encountering Stanley Pruisner's work on prions and doubting it because it was so outside the box. And yes I think there are still doubters. That's a good thing, up to a point, as it hoilds everyone's feet to the fire. dmm

I've had the same experience. Especially colleagues who are brilliant scientists who seem to have little trouble remaining unbiased in other contexts. One thing a bit different about this is that being a contrarian instantly puts you in the limelight d

Indeed it does... But I do wonder after 5 years of looking for lab leak evidence without finding it, what are we to conclude? Is there a point where say we are not likely to find new actionable evidence? Scientissts have been forming concensus about these things for centuries. Now what? dmm

So true. The problem with the "lab leak theory" is not that scientists are biased against it, just that there is no evidence for it. By all means, if evidence turns up all scientists should consider it fairly. But scientists shy away from making conclusions without facts to support them. dmm

Angie is on target: we should not call the lab leak theory crazy, since so many sane people believe it. Rather, there is just no factual, verifiable evidence for it, just alot of "isn't it curious that?" and "could this be coincidence?", whuch you see in every outbreak investigation.

This is wonderful news! The Phoenix rises from the ashes

The 1793 epidemic is worth remembering. An historian claimed it forever changed the character of the American people. The first recognized case was in the home of President George Washington. He and Martha fled west to escape it, as did most of the young US government.