Marsha Pierce

I hope this Nobel Prize gets people talking meaningfully about our amazing immune systems and the importance of basic research to human health (and funding basic research).

I am also glad young women get to see that women can not only work at this level, but that those who do can get recognized.

Religious protesters say ICE threatens religious freedom in Chicago (RNS) — Despite potential danger, religious leaders and faith activists have been a visible presence at Chicago-area ICE protests, some waving signs with slogans such as ‘Love thy neighbor’ and ‘Who w...

NEW: I spoke to clergy and faith leaders who've joined protests at the Chicago-area ICE facility.

Three say they've been shot with pepper balls, sometimes while praying.

All say ICE is also violating their religious freedom, and one is arguing it in court. religionnews.com/2025/10/07/i...

It’s important to flood social media and news channels with news about how ICE lies, so that potential jurors see it.

It's not just that they're going to strike down a law against conversion therapy, it's that they're going to do it on behalf of made-up claims from a straw plaintiff who can't honestly show the law affected her at all

Discoveries that changed the world: Meet UC’s women Nobel laureates Nearly a quarter of the women who have received Nobel Prizes in science have ties to UC.

Discoveries that changed the world: Meet UC’s women @NobelPrize laureates https://bit.ly/42wZj6x

🧠📈 Do neurons of a feather flock together? Not quite.

New evidence shows that neurons of the same specific type tend to avoid each other in space, supporting the mosaic hypothesis in the cortex.

📄 Read the @cp-cellreports.bsky.social study: www.cell.com/cell-reports...

I have been trying to get this published as an op-ed, but I am going to post it here since I think it is timely in light of the "consent" extortion events.

Deafening Quiet from the Scientific Establishment

jeremymberg.github.io/jeremyberg.g...

1/14

This image was posted on X today by a Chicago Tribune reporter. Trump’s government has declared war on the American people — or some of them, based on race.

The political right's greatest project is discrediting experts. Only in a "do your own research" world can their cultural preferences - anti-abortion, anti-gender affirming care - claim equal legitimacy to the left's medically-backed positions on those issues. SCOTUS is a full partner in that effort

The Trump Admin’s Mostly Unnoticed Move to Crack Down on the Opposition Last month, the White House issued two executive orders that direct federal...

"The memos classify huge swaths of progressive political advocacy and belief as potentially contributing to political violence and domestic terrorism, directing law enforcement...to investigate and possibly charge left-leaning advocacy groups and their funders"

talkingpointsmemo.com/news/the-tru...

Supreme Court Could Gut Abortion, LGBTQ Protections With These 3 Cases—Analysis SCOTUS will hear three cases on anti-abortion centers and LGBTQ+ rights—all from the Alliance Defending Freedom.

The Supreme Court is back and -- I regret to inform you-- already on their nonsense. Here's a preview of a trifecta of Alliance Defending Freedom cases on the docket so far this term

rewirenewsgroup.com/2025/10/06/s...

The Story Of Dunning, A 'Tomb For The Living' In both life and death, the people who ended up at the notorious asylum and poor farm were some of Chicago’s least fortunate residents.

@robertloerzel.bsky.social did a fantastic deep dive into Dunning a while back. We went out to the former hospital site and did video interviews with people trying to keep the memory of the place alive.

www.wbez.org/curious-city...

On Chicago’s NW side from 1854 to 1970 there was a “civil commitment and forced medical care” institution called Dunning Asylum, later the Chicago State Hospital.

People realized during construction in the 1990s they were building on mass graves of poor and mentally ill people.

There is precedent.

The Insurrection Act and the War at Home Fear, force, and the line America has crossed.

Chicago isn’t a battlefield. But Trump is making it one.
Now he’s threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act, to use the U.S. military against Americans. This isn’t about immigrants or crime. It’s about power. And once fear becomes law, it never stops where it starts.

PSA: Get yourself a Committee of No—a trusted group you can ask about opportunities, offers & obligations to figure out which you should accept and which you should decline. It's a real boon in thinking through workload issues. Plus, they'll inevitably text you funny things at stressful moments.

This Little-Known Appeal Could Force Your Insurer to Pay for Lifesaving Care. Here’s How to File It. When a health insurer refuses to pay for your treatment, you may have the right to have the denial reviewed — and potentially overturned — by an independent provider. Here are six steps experts sugges...

NEW: If you've ever fought with your health insurer -- and, let's be honest, who hasn't? -- then this explainer on external reviews from @deldeib.bsky.social of @propublica.org will surely help you.

www.propublica.org/article/heal...

Attending #SfN2025 in San Diego☀️? Don’t miss the Dorris Neuroscience Center Symposium at @scripps.edu, happening right before the meeting. A great lineup of speakers to kick off your SfN week. Plan your trip accordingly and register for free here:
www.eventbrite.com/e/dorris-neu...

Please amplify!

I love my doxie, but she is by no means low-maintenance and has succeeded in training me rather than the other way around.

Former "strong-willed child" (as labeled by major evangelical organization based in Colorado Springs) seeing something familiar here...

This @scripps.edu place is pretty decent!

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker explains what he believes is Donald Trump's real goal in normalizing a military presence in U.S. cities by dressing ICE and Border Patrol agents in military gear.

Watch:

Me: send noods
Bae: can't, tariffs

Pro-tip: the people zip-tying kids or shoving the elderly down stairs are never the good guys.

It's a pretty big deal that the NYC Bar Association--one of the most prominent and respected bar associations in the country--is accusing the President of ordering the "unlawful summary execution," i.e. murder--of civilians in violation of US and international law. www.nycbar.org/press-releas...

Pritzker is also furious: “Should National Governors Association leadership choose to remain silent, Illinois will have no choice but to withdraw from the organization.”

👀 Marjorie Taylor Greene breaks with Republicans on Obamacare funding, saying she’s not a fan of the law but demands action to prevent a premium hike. “I’m absolutely disgusted that health insurance premiums will DOUBLE if the tax credits expire this year.” She says GOP leaders don’t have a plan.

U.S. shutdown drags on as Trump flummoxes senators with health care claim The stalemate continued Monday with another round of failed votes as President Trump claimed negotiations were taking place, which senators in both parties denied.

DAY 6: The US government shutdown drags on with no end in sight

Another Senate vote series fails, with zero movement among senators.

Meanwhile, Trump claims they are negotiating on health care with Democrats.

Dem and GOP senators say that’s bogus.

LATEST: www.nbcnews.com/politics/con...

The right is obsessed with telling stories. They tell outrageous stories that build community through polarizing us v them and their stories give status to their true believers, the ones who become politically active.

this is a very very big story because of the apparently totally fake story ICE/DHS put out about what happened.