Sheri Fink

“ ‘There seems to almost be a hostile reaction to the idea of going on caring for a kid with trisomy 18,’ Dr. James Hammel, then the division chief of pediatric cardiothoracic surgery … at Children’s Nebraska ... ‘So what constitutes a worthwhile life?’ he said. ‘That’s the question.’ “

My latest for the @nytimes.com , with with photographer Stephanie Sinclair.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/31/m...

Trisomy 18 is usually fatal within weeks of birth. Some families are getting more time, with surgeries, luck and incredible effort. This is the story of what Noah, and his family, are up against. https://nyti.ms/44Z7TgU

Trisomy 18 Was Once Seen as Too Lethal to Treat. Some Kids Are Now Surviving. Trisomy 18 is normally fatal within weeks of birth. But some parents are getting more time — with surgeries, luck and an incredible amount of effort.

Trisomy 18, a rare chromosomal condition also known as Edwards syndrome, is normally fatal within weeks of birth. But some parents are getting more time — with surgeries, luck and an incredible amount of effort. This is Noah's story.

Noah Is Still Here

www.nytimes.com/2025/07/31/m...

Mass starvation stalks Gaza as deaths from hunger rise Aid agencies warned for months that Israel’s harsh limits on food aid would bring acute malnutrition and widespread suffering to Gaza’s 2.1 million people.

Gaza faces a severe humanitarian crisis as Israeli restrictions on aid lead to widespread malnutrition and starvation, with hospitals overwhelmed by malnourished children.

Inside the AI Prompts DOGE Used to “Munch” Contracts Related to Veterans’ Health Experts who reviewed the code for ProPublica found numerous and troubling flaws in the system, providing a disturbing glimpse into how the Trump administration is allowing artificial intelligence to g...

And for anyone who wants to dig into just how flawed this AI tool was in concept and execution, @bxroberts.org and @vernalcoleman.bsky.social talked to a bunch of experts to drill down on the code itself:

But then, it was the Times journalists who spent months doing the reporting.

Opinion | COVID Vaccine Guidance in Pregnancy Has Shifted — But the Science Hasn't Pregnant women should still be considered an at-risk population

Thank you @kevinault.bsky.social for this

www.nytimes.com/2025/05/30/o...

Are Dental X-Rays Safe?

Some day hopefully soon we’ll say, “we did what?” when told dentists irradiated lots of mouths without sufficient reason

www.nytimes.com/2025/01/21/w...

Wanna see something cool?

At the Grammy's in 1976, Ella Fitzgerald and Mel Torme explained what jazz is.

The result? The crowd losing its mind. 🔥

Eleven public health experts on the first 100 Days of the Trump administration. Here's what some major leaders in the field are watching most closely.

open.substack.com/pub/insideme...

5 Places to Turn for Accurate Health Information (Gift Article) Changes to federal health websites have raised concerns about their reliability. These independent sources offer an alternative.

5 Places to Turn for Accurate Health Information www.nytimes.com/2025/04/28/w...

The fact that NWS field offices are not able to operate 24/7 anymore in growing number of locations, & that offices servicing major population centers no longer have supervisory meteorologists in charge, & that radar techs are becoming unavailable, is highly alarming.

Time to catch up on the past week’s news about science and medicine in the US. Whew. 1/10

Are Trump’s Actions Truly Unprecedented? We Asked 35 Historians. (Gift Article) We categorized 22 of Mr. Trump’s actions, ranging from those that have no comparable historical example to those that do.

Are Trump’s Actions Truly Unprecedented? We Asked 35 Historians. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

If we really want to take on chronic diseases....
by @virusesimmunity.bsky.social and @hmkyale.bsky.social
#LongCovid, post-infection syndromes, immune system assessment and intervention
gift link www.wsj.com/opinion/how-...

A horrible story but god bless this woman so accurately reading the ICE goons for filth here

Label Obsession Grips Canada as Shoppers Shun American Products Grocery store trips take forever when you have to trace the lineage of every can of soup; O SCANada

Why buying groceries in Canada is taking forever: Shoppers have to study the lineage of every can of soup.

For nearly 60 days, Israel has blocked food from Gaza. Palestinians struggle to feed their families For nearly 60 days, no food, fuel, medicine or other item has entered the Gaza Strip, blocked by Israel.

For nearly 60 days, no food, fuel, medicine or other items has entered the Gaza Strip, blocked by Israel.

Aid groups are running out of food to distribute. Markets are nearly bare.

Palestinian families are left struggling to feed their children.

PBS Newshour "Political cartoonists on navigating a changing media landscape"

open.substack.com/pub/anntelna...

Opinion | We Visited Rumeysa Ozturk in Detention (Gift Article) The Constitution is only as strong as our willingness to defend it.

"When a government begins to imprison writers for their words, when it abandons legal norms for political convenience, when it cloaks oppression in the language of national security, alarm bells must ring. Loudly." www.nytimes.com/2025/04/25/o...

National Science Foundation Terminates Hundreds of Active Research Awards (Gift Article) The agency targeted grants focused on diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as research on misinformation.

@katrinamillerphd.bsky.social & I took a look at over 400 active National Science Foundation grants that got killed in the past few days. Here's our story (gift link) nyti.ms/4jp4aOx

COVID & Health News, 4/19/25 The CDC reports that respiratory illnesses are decreasing overall, with the exception of Pertussis (Whooping Cough) which continues to be elevated nationally.

✨Please share! My newsletter is out.

In this issue:
🚗Mild COVID infection increases car accidents 25%
🧒Kids higher risk of CV (heart) and kidney disease after COVID
🫀HRV and VT1 for Long COVID pacing
🔴Measles: 800 cases, 11% hosp., 3 deaths, so far

& much more buff.ly/RGDj1ct

#medsky #pedsky 🛟😷🧪

Israel’s Military Cites ‘Professional Failures’ in Killings of Gaza Medics (Gift Article) In a statement summarizing its investigation into the deadly episode, the military said a deputy commander would be dismissed.

"Firing on a U.N. vehicle, the statement added, involved 'a breach of orders' in a combat setting." "Israeli soldiers later buried most of the [15 medics'] bodies in a mass grave, crushed the ambulances, fire truck and a U.N. vehicle, and buried those as well." www.nytimes.com/2025/04/20/w...

SUDAN MUTUAL AID COALITION (Copy)

If you feel outraged, think about donating to the group profiled in the NYT article. I found this link on a UN site: www.mutualaidsudan.org

As Famine Rages in Sudan, U.S. Aid Remains Scarce (Gift Article) The stark consequences of the rollback are evident in few places as clearly as in Sudan, where a brutal civil war has combined with a staggering humanitarian catastrophe.

"Like the other 11 children, Abdo starved to death in the weeks after President Trump froze all U.S. foreign assistance"..."as the American money dried up, hundreds of soup kitchens closed in a matter of days." For shame. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/19/w...

A Columbia Activist Sought Middle Ground on Gaza. The U.S. Detained Him. (Gift Article) Mohsen Mahdawi was arrested at a citizenship interview in Vermont. He had spent a decade trying to understand the conflict that shaped his life, his supporters say.

“This person constitutes a bridge, and we’ve torn that bridge down instead of embracing it.” ... “He is working on a peace process. That is what is so ironic about it. It is just the complete opposite of what the government is painting him as.” www.nytimes.com/2025/04/16/n...