Liz Highleyman

Probably the prettiest book I own.

Once again, the U.K. reminds me to be ever so grateful for the First Amendment
reason.com/2025/11/12/m...

Let's do a brief thread about some of the crazy sex- and speech-related proposals in the country's new crime bill

‘A sigh of relief’: New malaria drug succeeds in large clinical trial As existing drugs falter because of resistance, the world gets a backup—but hard choices loom on how to use it

I’ve been in Toronto at the #astmh meeting these past few days and last night some very good news was presented here: A new malaria drug has proven efficacious in a large trial and could soon be approved.🧪
My story in @science.org (and 🧵on why it's important to come):
www.science.org/content/arti...

Same happened — arguably us is still happening — in SF. Downtown’s loss was the neighborhoods’ gain.

Photo via @vincentledvina.bsky.social

Aurora photographers: How do I set iPhone 16 to take a 10-sec exposure? (I don't want to use a 3rd party app or edit a live shot after the fact). Can you force it to do 10 secs, or does it depend on the ambient light? With an overcast sky, I can't get it above 3 secs.

Mine’s a Miele. Expensive brand, but less than rewiring 110 power to 240 for a standard dryer. Drying takes a bit longer & clothes don’t come out “American dry,” meaning slight humidity when you open it & clothes aren’t so hot. But now that I’m used to it, I love it & it’s better for the clothes.

Stanford Medicine scientists tie lupus to a virus nearly all of us carry The Epstein-Barr virus can convert B cells it’s infected into diabolical overlords that reprogram myriad other immune cells to attack our tissues, Stanford Medicine scientists have found.

One virus after another being linked to autoimmune conditions & other chronic illnesses. Once you know what to look for…

med.stanford.edu/news/all-new...

And how do they get such good photos? Typically, some lights are on in the plane & I usually get reflections off the window when trying to shoot the sunset or moon or whatever.

I want to see the aurora under any circumstances, but especially from a plane. Twice I’ve routed trips via a more northerly route (SF>Detroit>Tampa) when good conditions were predicted, but no luck yet.

Woah! Look at this INTENSE red/pink aurora happening from Norway Mountain in Michigan. It's fairly high in the sky as well. This may be visible from some states further south like Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, etc.

go.theauroraguy.com/webcams

This sounds reasonable but is 100% wrong. Whether you or agree or disagree with a study is completely immaterial. What matters is whether the study was conducted properly and generates valid results. And it's impolitic to say but it's true: you have to have some level of expertise to judge that.

Then you, too, can be without health insurance & have your coverage at the whim of politicians!

Yeah, it's touch and go in this area. The city is too bright and now cloudy in SF, but good for them!

I got a newfangled heat pump dryer because my gas one died & I only have 110 power. It's great -- clothes come out dry but not scorching hot.

I should stay off social media tonight.😕 My aurora viewing aspirations are still for naught. SF is just too far south for reliable decent viewing (though some people in NorCal may catch a glimpse if they're lucky & their timing is right).

‘Professional marksmen’ kill flu-exposed ostrich herd in Canada, ending legal saga that attracted RFK Jr.’s attention | CNN The move brings to an end a nearly year-long legal saga that attracted attention from conservatives in the United States, including US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

I don't understand why they had to kill these ostriches. It sounds like they weren't currently infected, just previously potentially exposed. Birds may not be as cuddly as research beagles, but healthy animals shouldn't be killed just to follow rules or score political points.

SWPC has only ever issued a handful of G4 watches, and we have now for Nov 12 due to three incoming CMEs. Storming may begin on Nov 11 with the impact of the first CME with two more close behind it.

If the forecast verifies, much of the U.S. may see the aurora Tue/Wed nights.

FDA plans to tap oncology-expert Pazdur as nation’s top drug regulator Richard Pazdur, a longtime Food and Drug Administration employee, would lead its center that oversees over-the-counter and the majority of prescription drugs.

scoop: RICHARD PAZDUR set to be named FDA's top drug regulator

He'd initially turned down job leading agency's CDER but reconsidered

Multilingualism and Extending Healthspan Evidence for a new independent lifestyle factor linked to healthy aging

The heath benefits of multilingualism appear to be far beyond prior expectations
erictopol.substack.com/p/multilingu...

MHT is beneficial for many women, vaginal estrogen is safe & the backlash against systemic hormones largely stemmed from a poor grasp of relative vs absolute risk. They may be wrong more often than right, but when they’re right, we shouldn’t oppose out of partisanship or animosity.

China is going to win a lot of science & technology races — & with the way things are going in the US & elsewhere, the deserve to.

MHT is beneficial for many women, vaginal estrogen is safe & the backlash against systemic hormones largely stemmed from a poor grasp of relative vs absolute risk. They may be wrong more often than right, but when they’re right, we shouldn’t oppose out of partisanship or animosity.

Have you heard? There are TWO CMEs directed right at Earth that could cause geomagnetic storming starting tomorrow.

Here is an animation of some of these blasts coming from the Sun (center) to Earth (black dot). This comes from the HUXt model.

#heliophysics

Boy you can just realllllllly fucking tell who's never had to get on the horn with an insurance company huh

Beagle sitting in front of a dog toys Advent calendar.

Last year a friend gave us Advent calendars with dog toys every other day, such as ornament-looking squeaky balls & candy cane rope toys. They didn’t really need 12 new toys in one month, but it was adorable.

I'll have to explore all options. I think if you have a written prescription, places like Walgreens will fill it, but I've been on Kaiser for decades & have little experience with other avenues.

FDA reverses decades-old warning on hormone therapy products for menopause The FDA is reversing a 2003 decision that put a stringent warning on hormone therapy products for menopausal women, saying that the treatments offer heart, brain, and bone health benefits.

This is a good decision. The 2002 backlash against MHT/HRT happened because the public, much of the media & even some doctors don't grasp the difference between relative & absolute risk. A percentage change may seem substantial, but you need to look at the actual numbers.

Yeah, I’m doing that, along with my prescriptions. Fortunately, I don’t use many meds & they’re cheap generics, so I’ll ask if I can get a written permission slip to use elsewhere.

I loved the integration & one-stop-shopping of Kaiser, but now I see the drawbacks. When I lose my insurance next month, I’ll no longer have access to my doctors — there’s no self-pay option — & I don’t even know if I’ll be able to access their website to see my past records & test results.😕