Brianne Barker

That column on the far right is the death of American biomedical science.

I get yelled at for saying this but for many hundreds of years people went to university not to get diplomas or be employable but because immersion in the humanities was considered foundational to a good life, and school must return to its original purpose: the joy of learning.

Graph of award probability of R35 and R01 from NIH factbook as a function of review rank percentile. As is apparent, 2025 is a significant departure, with lower award probabilities at all scores <40 and significant departures from norm, where even being in the top 10% is no longer a nearly certain indicator of success. Data source: https://report.nih.gov/nihdatabook/report/302

The data is in: the NIH goalposts have shifted.

What were once almost certain fundable scores have become coin flips and what used to be likely grants have become aspirational, leading to fewer awards.

Another manifestation of how HHS policies have led to fewer awards and less science.

I appreciate the many people believe they are better writers than the machines, and I have no reason to doubt them! But hanging our hats on that advantage immediately cedes too much. I'm going to write because it's a human need I have, and that will be so no matter the work's relative quality.

The Covid-19 pandemic was a once-a-century impact on mortality worldwide. And that impact varied among countries depending on policy choices.

BUT

As bad as the height of pandemic was in Canada (purple arrow) it would be far worse to have the misfortune to be born an American (green arrow).

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I missed that Statistique Canada had released 2024 life expectancy.

Life expectancy in Canada and US in 2024 has virtually returned to 2019 pre-pandemic levels (US 0.2y higher, CA 0.06y lower).

www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quo...

kill the imposter syndrome in you head because not only is there someone out there doing it worse than you, they're also using chat gpt to do it

Anyways.

Outsourcing our creativity in looking for connections, making those connections, developing personal and formal standards of worthwhile information, AND developing the patience for menial/tedious work is, I s2g, the worst decision we could make with this

It feels like eating uranium

Galileo’s handwritten notes found in ancient astronomy text Discovery sheds new light on how famed astronomer came to lead a scientific revolution

I love everything about this! The conviction that a major figure was not struck by a bolt of lightning but worked to understand the system he would ultimately critique and help dismantle. The scholarly sleuthing rare books — all of it. 😎🤓
www.science.org/content/arti...

Where is that graph from? I am interested in the source and want to read it!

Oh, the Shit You’ll Do After You’re Tenured! We regret to inform you: Today’s not your day Though you’ve sweated and labored Every August through May You have brains in your head And a CV for ...

You have brains in your head
And a CV for miles
(Or so we have read
In your annual files)
But tenure is coming, just a few more years—
And the shit you’ll do, it’ll bring them to tears!

When someone says „Scientists do not want you to know“ you can dismiss everything from there on. Scientists want you to know. They are desperate that you know. They can’t shut up about what they found out and want you to know.

If you ever want to read a paper for free and can't find it otherwise, email the lead author and politely ask for a copy. You will not be bothering the person. You will in fact make their whole entire day. I have had scientists get so excited I asked they sent me everything they ever published.

Excuse me?

Ohh.... #biology #lego

It’s a good evening to read a novel.

Ten Black Scientists That Science Teachers Should Know About Help your students see the possibilities of careers in STEM fields by providing them with diverse role models.

STEM Black History Fact 24/28

Dr. James McCune Smith was the first Black American physician and used medical statistics to dismantle racist biological theories.

www.pbs.org/education/bl...

Ten Black Scientists That Science Teachers Should Know About Help your students see the possibilities of careers in STEM fields by providing them with diverse role models.

STEM Black History Fact 25/28

Dr. Kenneth Clark’s research demonstrated the psychological harm of segregation, shaping U.S. public health and education policy.

www.pbs.org/education/bl...

Ten Black Scientists That Science Teachers Should Know About Help your students see the possibilities of careers in STEM fields by providing them with diverse role models.

STEM Black History Fact 26/28

Physician astronaut Dr. Mae Jemison studied motion sickness and bone loss in space, advancing aerospace medicine and human physiology research.
www.pbs.org/education/bl...

STEM Black History Fact 28/28

Dr. Jane Cooke Wright was a pioneering cancer researcher and surgeon noted for her contributions to chemotherapy.

cfmedicine.nlm.nih.gov/physicians/b...

Ten Black Scientists That Science Teachers Should Know About Help your students see the possibilities of careers in STEM fields by providing them with diverse role models.

STEM Black History Fact 27/28

Dr. William Montague Cobb was a founder of modern physical anthropology and used anatomy to counter scientific racism.
www.pbs.org/education/bl...

I tried out the new Airborne Infection Risk Estimator from @drseanmullen.bsky.social.

I was curious about my risky habit of going to see live music. How risky is it exactly? Let's see what it says.

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seanmullen.com/airborne-inf...

Hugs :(

August me: “They’re going to pay you HOW MUCH?!?!? Am I making a mistake in going to grad school?”
April me: Apparently I am the only one with something up for after graduation

Ugh even worse

Sr year of college 01-02….her about classmates’ job offers with big signing bonuses they got at the end of summer internships, then 9/11, then anthrax, then classmates get job offers taken away. A big year of “hi welcome to adulthood”. I was definitely in a lucky/privileged situation with my outcome

Hi, I have diagnosed c-PTSD and this is true and if you suck at tetris, any bright coloured fast game requiring rapid eye movement and decision making will do! it also helps if you witness something triggering and are trying to stave off an episode

'One year of failure.' The Lancet slams RFK Jr.'s first year as health chief In a scathing review, the top US medical journal's editorial board warned that the "destruction that Kennedy has wrought in 1 in office might take generations to repair."

In a scathing review, the top US medical journal's editorial board warned that the "destruction that Kennedy has wrought in 1 in office might take generations to repair." n.pr/3N9Foa8

As a person who graduated from undergrad in 02 and then grad school in 09…..THIS

The Bot Formerly Known as Einstein