Matthew Warren

Blood taken from Danish babies ended up in huge genetic study—without consent The iPsych project, which investigates the genetics of psychiatric disorders, has sent 140,000 opt-out notices amid backlash

Last month, 140,000 Danes found out that their genetic data was being used in a massive research project-- without their consent.

I unpacked how this happened, and why it matters for @science.org

www.science.org/content/arti...

Blood taken from Danish babies ended up in huge genetic study—without consent The iPsych project, which investigates the genetics of psychiatric disorders, has sent 140,000 opt-out notices amid backlash

Thousands of Danes have just found out that their genetic data has been used in research for more than a decade, without their consent. Great reporting from @inampudi.bsky.social www.science.org/content/arti...

Blood taken from Danish babies ended up in huge genetic study—without consent The iPsych project, which investigates the genetics of psychiatric disorders, has sent 140,000 opt-out notices amid backlash

Thousands of Danes have just found out that their genetic data has been used in research for more than a decade, without their consent. Great reporting from @inampudi.bsky.social www.science.org/content/arti...

Russian scientists’ international collaborations to be vetted by security services under new law Move will have a chilling effect and further isolate the country from the global scientific community, researchers say

“The new law will negatively affect further international collaborations of Russian chemists and other scientists, as many of them will prefer not to participate in such projects amid the fears of possible attention from security services,” says one chemist www.science.org/content/arti...

Well, this makes it real: I'm retiring in September and this is the just-posted job listing for my replacement. @Science.org is a fabulous place to work, so @sciencewriters.org, apply here! recruiting.ultipro.com/AME1123ASEM/...

Moa "de-extinction" plans announced - Expert Reaction An overseas company has announced plans to "bring back" the South Island giant moa. Colossal Biosciences, working with Ngāi Tahu Research Centre and Canterbury Museum, says it expects to "resurrect" t...

The Science Media Centre has gathered several expert reactions to the "de-extinct the moa" publicity announcement. Each is withering in a different way. www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz/2025/07/09/m...

Social media consensus paper causes social media uproar Preprint reporting common ground among researchers on smartphones and teen mental health is premature and flawed, critics say

“I think we desperately need to take some of the heat out of this debate,” @peteetchells.bsky.social says. “And this paper, for me, doesn’t do that. It has the potential to go the other way.”

www.science.org/content/arti...

Indian police are trying to ‘read minds' of suspects, over neuroscientists' objections A controversial profiling of the brain’s electrical activity has shaped court decisions and bail applications

for @ScienceMagazine i spent the past year investigating a brain technology used by Indian police to determine if suspects committed a crime. the technology has been used in hundreds high-stake cases. yet it has little to no science backing. 🧵
www.science.org/content/arti...

Be sure not to miss the last bit of
@jocelynkaiser.bsky.social's short, strange interview with NIH chief Jay Bhattacharya: www.science.org/content/arti...

• Al Overview The idiom "you can't lick a badger twice" means you can't trick or deceive someone a second time after they've been tricked once. It's a warning that if someone has already been deceived, they are unlikely to fall for the same trick again. Here's a more detailed explanation: • Licking: "Licking" in this context means to trick or deceive someone. • Badger: The badger is a wild animal, and the phrase likely originates from the historical sport of badger baiting where dogs were used to harass

Someone on Threads noticed you can type any random sentence into Google, then add “meaning” afterwards, and you’ll get an AI explanation of a famous idiom or phrase you just made up. Here is mine

Geoengineering could fight climate change—if the public can be convinced Researchers’ failures to communicate are jeopardizing even basic tests, but new projects may point the way forward

Some new climate technologies are pretty controversial, but they could also be pretty useful; we should talk about it!

To be clear, it's not a matter of convincing people; it's a matter of being in dialogue. Sounds woolly, but a number of fantastic researchers help me unpack what this involves:

Trump administration purges U.S. health agency leaders Reassignment letters come as reduction in force begins

One high level HHS official shown the door told Science, “I couldn’t have worked with these asshats anyway.”

www.science.org/content/arti...

Overseas universities see opportunity in U.S. ‘brain drain’ But many U.S.-based scientists seeking to leave may struggle to find positions in countries grappling with funding issues of their own

Overseas universities see opportunity in recruiting U.S. scientists uprooted by Trump policies. Not capitalizing on the situation “would be wasting a unique opportunity,” one specialist says. | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...

Implants can help deaf kids hear—but many still struggle with spoken language Some researchers worry about risks of devaluing sign language, overreliance on imperfect devices

Language is the social&cognitive air that humans breathe. It underlies our thinking, connection, education.

So what happens when, as a young child, you don't get access to it?

Implants can help deaf kids hear – but that's not always enough to give them language 🧪
www.science.org/content/arti...

Revealed: How the UK tech secretary uses ChatGPT for policy advice New Scientist has used freedom of information laws to obtain the ChatGPT records of Peter Kyle, the UK's technology secretary, in what is believed to be a world-first use of such legislation

🚨 @newscientist.com SCOOP: I've exclusively obtained Peter Kyle's interactions with ChatGPT using FOI laws - in what I believe may be a world-first transparency release. The chatbot said "Lack of Government or Institutional Support" slowed UK AI adoption www.newscientist.com/article/2472...

Sticker shock: New U.S. tariffs could raise cost of research equipment and supplies China, Canada, and Mexico are major suppliers of essential scientific items

Tariffs imposed yesterday could hit researchers by raising prices for scientific equipment. My latest for Science:
www.science.org/content/arti...

NOAA firings hit the birthplace of weather and climate forecasting Dismissed researchers were improving severe weather predictions

My latest: The mass firings at NOAA can feel abstract. Here's what was lost at one research center -- the birthplace of climate modeling.

Fired staff became U.S. citizens to pursue these dream jobs, only to have their dreams upended.

Even faced with the same data, ecologists sometimes come to opposite conclusions Study highlights powerful role subjective choices can play in research, though some critics urge caution about applying findings too broadly

Give a group of scientists the same data and the same research question, and they should come up with similar answers—in theory. But they don’t.
www.science.org/content/arti... (by @cathleenogrady.bsky.social)

Nature News intern; Springer Nature Opening Doors Programme Nature News Intern, Springer Nature Opening Doors Programme London, UK — Hybrid Working Model Application deadline: 28th February 2025 About Springer Nature Group Springer Nature opens the doors to di...

Absolutely cracking PAID internship for an aspiring science journalist. Great hands-on experience. London office (hybird). We particularly encourage candidates from historically underrepresented groups 🫶 springernature.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/de-DE/Spring...

A computer generated model of a pistol with a screen attached at the rear

Here's one described as "an artificial intelligence powered skin cancer inspection device with design thinking". It's literally a pistol with a screen attached.

‘Patent mills’ sell scientists inventorship of bizarre medical devices Thousands of U.K. “design registrations” sold to Indian academics in past 2 years, new research finds

Here's @cathleenogrady.bsky.social 's great story on the scheme again: www.science.org/content/arti...

Based on a preprint out yesterday: zenodo.org/records/1488...

Design registrations are exactly what they sound like - you're just registering the appearance of something, not its function. Which is just as well!

But these companies are counting on them being mistaken for patents, since in many countries registering patents can boost your academic ranking.

A computer generated model of.... where to start? There's a round grey base with prongs jutting out, gripping a yellow and black rectangle that appears to be embedded with some kind of electronics.

And this is a "wearable textile antenna for telemedicine application" 🤷‍♂️

Computer generated model of a shoe. It has what appears to be a tiny camera right in front of the toe.

This one is called "smart shoe for visually impaired". It appears to be a shoe with a tiny camera on the front (it also has a usb slot at the back).

A computer generated model of a pistol with a screen attached at the rear

Here's one described as "an artificial intelligence powered skin cancer inspection device with design thinking". It's literally a pistol with a screen attached.

‘Patent mills’ sell scientists inventorship of bizarre medical devices Thousands of U.K. “design registrations” sold to Indian academics in past 2 years, new research finds

Suspicious firms are selling scientists in India "inventorship" slots on what they claim are UK patents. In reality, these academics are not buying patents but registered designs - and many of these designs are frankly bizarre... 🧵 www.science.org/content/arti...

‘Patent mills’ sell scientists inventorship of bizarre medical devices Thousands of U.K. “design registrations” sold to Indian academics in past 2 years, new research finds

You've heard of paper mills - but what about patent mills? @cathleenogrady.bsky.social reports on a new type of academic fraud.
www.science.org/content/arti...

Got a tip? Got a tip for Science’s news department? Our reporters would like to hear from you. Here are ways to contact us.

Federal scientist taking the Trump buyout offer? Feel free to reach out, directly to me or via Science's news tip options. We're curious about what led to your decision and what/who your department or agency may be losing. Tips on other topics welcome too! www.science.org/content/page...

‘It’s tectonic:’ U.S. foreign aid freeze deals a blow to research around the globe Dismantling of USAID could disrupt clinical trials and wipe away U.S. “soft power” in developing countries, scientists warn

NEW: ‘It’s tectonic:’ U.S. foreign aid freeze deals a blow to research around the globe | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...

Just putting it out there. @science.org has lots of fabulous writers covering many fields. 🧪🔭 bsky.app/starter-pack...