Authors of 'Science Under Siege' warn of concerted effort to discredit science From its embrace of dubious research about autism, its skepticism over vaccines and its wholesale rejection of the consensus about climate change, the Trump administration has set off alarm bells with...

"Too often we call it misinformation or infodemic, like it's random junk out there on the Internet. It's not. It's organized, it's deliberate, it's politically motivated, and it's financially motivated." - @peterhotezmdphd.bsky.social
www.pbs.org/newshour/sho...
#MedSky #ScienceUnderSiege

Every year, the Ig Nobel Prizes honor the weirdest and most wonderful science out there—like studying how drunk bats fly or the physics of perfect pasta. It’s all real research, and it’s all hilariously brilliant. Because sometimes science makes you laugh… then think.

🎤🎥🎞️@tomlumperson.bsky.social

Human skin DNA fertilised to make embryo for first time US scientists testing the technique say it could help people overcome infertility and potentially allow same-sex couples to have a genetically related child.

Human skin DNA fertilised to make embryo for first time. 🧪 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Every second, the sky flashes with light from meteors, stars, satellites, and more. But not every pulse is natural.

🌌 LaserSETI is the first project built to scan all the sky, all the time in search of ultrashort laser bursts—signals so precise that nature can’t produce them.

#SaveTheSearch 🧪 🔭

How to rapidly search the world’s microbial DNA By making the world’s microbial DNA easier to explore, LexicMap helps researchers track outbreaks, study antibiotic resistance, and understand microbial diversity.

There are millions of openly available microbial genomes, but searching them can be slow.

Until now 🥁

Introducing LexicMap, a new alignment tool that lets scientists search these data in minutes, helping track antibiotic resistance, trace outbreaks, and more.

www.ebi.ac.uk/about/news/r...
🦠

Scientists say X (formerly Twitter) has lost its professional edge — and Bluesky is taking its place After Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter, many scientists report the platform is no longer suitable for professional use. A recent survey indicates that researchers are increasingly turning to Bluesky, which they view as more useful, welcoming, and aligned with their goals.

Scientists say X has lost its professional edge and Bluesky is taking its place https://www.psypost.org/scientists-say-x-formerly-twitter-has-lost-its-professional-edge-and-bluesky-is-taking-its-place/ (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45396377)

Nearly 7 in 10 COVID survivors tested didn't know they had a dulled sense of smell

Nearly 7 in 10 COVID survivors tested didn't know they had a dulled sense of smell www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/nea...

The LA Fires Spewed Out Toxic Nanoparticles. He Made It His Mission to Trace Them Nicholas Spada is one of the only scientists in the world using a nuclear x-ray process to study deadly nanoparticles in wildfire smoke. What he’s uncovered in California is a nightmare.

The LA Fires Spewed Out Toxic Nanoparticles. He Made It His Mission to Trace Them www.wired.com/story/the-la...

Nearly 7 in 10 COVID survivors tested didn't know they had a dulled sense of smell

Nearly 7 in 10 COVID survivors tested didn't know they had a dulled sense of smell

"Even if they don't notice it, COVID-19 survivors' sense of smell may remain impaired for years after infection"

www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/nea...

People signing the Global Pledge for Healthy Indoor Air at the UN

Yesterday, history happened at the UN: For the first time hundreds of orgs signed a global pledge declaring that healthy indoor air is a human right.

Healthy indoor air is a key tool for preventing pandemics, building climate resilience, and increasing health equity. We need it everywhere!

The Challenge of the Planets, Part Two: High Energy The story of spaceflight told through missions and programs that did not happen - that is, the great majority of them.

The GE NEP crewed Mars mission study notes repeatedly that electric propulsion only begins to show its potential when directed toward the "nearby" worlds Mars and Venus. This 1962 "space cruiser" could, JPL estimated, reach Pluto in just over 3 yrs.

spaceflighthistory.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-...

A wide-field view of Neptune with hundreds of background galaxies, including a barred spiral galaxy, captured by NIRCam. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI

ESA/Webb (@esa.int) images (Sep 21, 2022)

Neptune stands out among hundreds of distant galaxies in this NIRCam image, showcasing the vastness of the universe.

esawebb.org/images/weic2214e/

Science journalists find ChatGPT is bad at summarizing scientific papers LLM “tended to sacrifice accuracy for simplicity” when writing news briefs.

arstechnica.com/ai/2025/09/s...

Scientists confirm discovery of a new otter species For decades, wildlife guides said a single Neotropical river otter species occurred from northern Mexico to northern Argentina. Fresh genomic work now shows that to be unlikely. Researchers have confirmed that what looked like one kind of otter is actually two distinct species across Latin America. The change reshapes maps, field manuals, and conservation plans.

Scientists confirm discovery of a new otter species #EarthDotCom #EarthSnap #Earth

This photo taken on Dec. 16, 2024 shows the central detector of the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO) in Jiangmen, south China's Guangdong Province. The world's largest transparent spherical detector began operation in China on Tuesday, making it the world's first operational ultra-large scientific facility dedicated to neutrino research with ultra-high precision. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang)

The world's largest neutrino detector has just begun operations in Jiangmen, China. 🧪🔭

english.cas.cn/newsroom/cas...

The hidden group that loses COVID protection fast A Japanese study reveals a group who lose vaccine protection faster than others—even if they start with stronger antibody levels. Date: September 18, 2025 Source: Nagoya University Summary: Why do some people stay protected after vaccination while others quickly lose immunity? Researchers in Japan tracked over 2,500 people for 18 months and found four distinct immune response patterns. The so-called “rapid-decliners” looked strong at first but lost antibodies quickly, leaving them more vulnerable to infection.

The hidden group that loses COVID protection fast.

A Japanese study reveals a group who lose vaccine protection faster than others—even if they start with stronger antibody levels.

Source: archive.md/RcFWL

Image collected by WATSON on the Perseverance rover of "Cheyava Falls," a rock on Mars containing potential biosignatures

I've been asked a few times over the last few days what I think the chances are that the "leopard spots and poppy seeds" on Mars will turn out to be actual evidence of life. People are naturally skeptical given the history of possible signs of life on other planets. Strap in: long thread ahead...

He’s Spent 40 Years Studying Dead Trees—Here’s What He’s Found Forest ecologist Mark Harmon has been exhaustively examining dead logs for 40 years, and he’s found a complex world few people see

Forest ecologist Mark Harmon has been exhaustively examining dead logs for 40 years, and he’s found a complex world few people see

Ultraviolet radiation vs air filtration to mitigate virus laden aerosol in an occupied clinical room Mitigation measures against infectious aerosols are desperately needed. We aimed to: 1) compare germicidal ultraviolet radiation (GUV) at 254 nm (254-…

J Haz Mat (April 5, 2025): "Our study is the first to directly compare the relative effectiveness of GUV devices (upper-room 254 nm and whole-room 222 nm) and HEPA filters to remove/inactivate model virus laden aerosol in an occupied clinical room."

Epstein-Barr Virus in Multiple Sclerosis | Neurology Neuroimmunology & Neuroinflammation Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a very common herpesvirus that infects more than 90% of the general population. Epidemiologic data indicate that EBV is a requisite risk factor for the development of multi...

UCSF researchers review new evidence showing Epstein-Barr virus is not just linked but required for multiple sclerosis.

Nearly 100% of MS patients have prior EBV infection and risk rises 32-fold after catching the virus.

www.neurology.org/doi/10.1212/...

The same rock before and after lapidary polishing. It's held in a human hand in both instances. On the left, a plain looking white limestone lump, roughly triangular. It has a few pits. On the right, a polished and shiny lump of coral in very roughly hexagonal pattern, a darker grey-brown, with lighter divisions and radiating pattern in each cell.

In parts of Michigan, you can pick up a fairly ordinary chunk of limestone & with some polishing, reveal a coral formation that was laid down when this area was a tropical sea in the Devonian, 350 MYA.

These are Petoskey stones, the state stone of Michigan.

XKCD did a banger on vaccines:

m.xkcd.com/2425/

A cartoon of a 10th birthday cake being swallowed by a black hole.

Happy birthday to GW150914, our first (of many) #GravitationalWave discoveries, detected 10 years ago today!

#GW10Years 🧪⚛️🔭

🖼️: @chirpmass.bsky.social

YouTube video by University of Glasgow University of Glasgow celebrates 10th anniversary of first gravitational wave detection

A new mini-documentary by our colleagues at @uofgravity.bsky.social celebrating the 10th anniversary of our first detection and the progress in #GravitationalWave astronomy

youtu.be/SqhFtkQ4f2c

#GW10Years 🔭🧪⚛️🎢

Scientists: It’s do or die time for America’s primacy exploring the Solar System “When you turn off those spacecraft’s radio receivers, there’s no way to turn them back on.”…

Scientists: It’s do or die time for America’s primacy exploring the Solar System arstechnica.com/space/2025/0...

Persistent olfactory dysfunction as an indicator of cognitive impairment in long COVID-19 syndrome: implications for monitoring and rehabilitation - European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuros... Background Persistent olfactory dysfunction (OD) and cognitive impairment are among the most frequently reported sequelae of long term infection with SARS-CoV-2 (long COVID-19). However, the associati...

Brazilian researchers studied 241 long COVID patients and found 92% had smell loss and 64% had cognitive impairment.

Severe smell loss was linked to nearly 3 times higher odds of cognitive problems.

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

This plot shows gravitational-wave signals recorded by the LIGO Hanford detector almost ten years apart. The top shows data from LIGO's first-ever detection of gravitational waves, an event called GW150914, captured in 2015. The bottom shows the signal known as GW250114, captured in 2025. Both events involve colliding black holes about 1.3 billion light-years away with masses between 30 to 40 times that of our Sun. The purple line shows the data, which are a combination of the signal plus background detector noise. The noise comes from a variety of sources, including seismic motions that jiggle giant mirrors inside LIGO. The green line shows the best-fit prediction from general relativity for each signal. The much lower noise seen today is thanks to cutting-edge improvements made to the LIGO detectors that hush unwanted noise. Credit: LIGO/J. Tissino (GSSI)/R. Hurt (Caltech-IPAC)

This chart plots discoveries made by the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA (LVK) network since LIGO's first detection, in 2015, of gravitational waves emanating from a pair of colliding black holes. The detections consist mainly of black hole mergers, but a handful involve neutron stars (either black hole-neutron star collisions or neutron star-neutron star collisions). Credit: LIGO/Caltech/MIT/R. Hurt (IPAC)

Ten Years Later, LIGO is a Black-Hole Hunting Machine

LIGO, Virgo, and KAGRA celebrate anniversary, announce verification of Stephen Hawking's Black Hole Area Theorem.

www.caltech.edu/about/news/t... 🧪🔭 @ligo.org @caltech.edu

Scientists find evidence of flowing water on Ryugu's ancient parent asteroid. 'It was a genuine surprise!' Main: An up-close view of the surface of Ryugu. Inset: an illustration of Hayabusa2, the Japanese spacecraft that captured this image. Liquid water flowed across the surface of the asteroid that birthed the near-Earth object (NEO) Ryugu much later than...

Scientists find evidence of flowing water on Ryugu's ancient parent asteroid. 'It was a genuine surprise!'
->Space | #Science #Asteroid #Water #Space | More info from EcoSearch

Image captured from low Earth orbit, aboard the space station. In the foreground is one of the station's arms. In the distance is the Earth. A faint green hue arc floats uniformly above the surface, indicating the atmosphere. On the surface, there are clouds and illuminated cities during Earth's night. From one central cloud, a large, bright patch of lightning produces a giant vertical column of concentrated lightning with the end of it having many red spikes.

Did folks see the @apod.shinyakato.dev today?!

Look at this incredibly huge jet lightning emerging from this cloud on Earth and reaching upwards into the atmosphere! 🤯

Imagine what lightning would be like on Jupiter!

📸 Nicole Ayers (on ISS)
apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropi...

Post COVID-19 condition/Long COVID This Collection welcomes submissions of primary research with a focus on all aspects of post COVID-19 condition and its direct or indirect implications for ...

There is mounting evidence that indicates that Long COVID is a complex condition that continues to affect the health of millions of people worldwide. Browse this collection of Long COVID research from Communications Medicine. #medsky 🧪