Meghan Rosen

Science News Media Guild authorizes strike as union marks 500 days of bargaining with no contract - Washington-Baltimore News Guild Members of Science News Media Guild recently voted by 92% to authorize a strike against the Society for Science if necessary.

🚨RELEASE: After 500 days at the table with no fair contract, Science News Media Guild members (@sn-media-guild.bsky.social) have authorized a strike.

Bosses are stalling. Workers are ready to fight. ✊

wbng.org/2025/09/05/s...

BREAKING: Workers of @sn-media-guild.bsky.social voted with 92% support to authorize a strike, with 89% of members participating. We're ready to do whatever it takes to get the fair contract we deserve. See our comments below to learn more about how to help our efforts! @society4science.bsky.social

We look forward to getting our print copy in the mail every month!

mRNA vaccines hold promise for many diseases. Now the tech is under fire Researchers warn that halting federal contracts for mRNA vaccine research could weaken pandemic preparedness and slow medical advances.

Winding down mRNA vaccine research for infectious diseases may not seem like a big deal. But it could have a chilling effect on the development of mRNA-based medicines in general. That includes meds for treating cancer.

Here’s what we stand to lose:

www.sciencenews.org/article/mrna...

U.S. measles cases reach 33-year record high as outbreaks spread Johns Hopkins University data reflects the public health reversal in defeating the vaccine-preventable disease since measles was officially eliminated from the U.S. in 2000.

The United States has recorded its highest annual measles cases in 33 years. The milestone marks a public health reversal in defeating a highly contagious, vaccine-preventable disease as the anti-vaccine movement gains strength.

Me too

Vaccine policy in the U.S. is entering uncharted territory A key advisory group vows to base decisions on evidence, boost confidence in vaccines and protect health. Experts fear the opposite is happening.

For a good recap on the latest U.S. vaccine policy tumult, check out @thsaey.bsky.social's story:

At the June ACIP meeting, “debunked science, an apparent nonchalance about preventable deaths and confusion over basic testing procedures often took center stage."

www.sciencenews.org/article/vacc...

I love a good The Martian reference.

A new diabetes treatment could free people from insulin injections In a small cell therapy trial, 10 out of 12 people with type 1 diabetes no longer needed supplemental insulin, even a year after treatment.

This type 1 diabetes study included only about a dozen people, but the results are impressive.

A year after cell therapy, 10 of 12 people no longer needed supplemental insulin. That’s big, but we need data from more patients. (It's in the works; ETA is 2026.)
www.sciencenews.org/article/type...

CDC vaccine advisory committee to review long-approved immunizations A leader of the CDC's reconstituted vaccine advisory committee said the panel would start a review of long-approved shots.

News: The American Academy of Pediatrics says it will no longer take part in the process of ACIP meetings.

“We won’t lend our name or our expertise to a system that is being politicized at the expense of children’s health,” the group's president says.
www.statnews.com/2025/06/25/c...

If you have a minute, please consider signing our petition. It’s been more than 400 days since our union formed, and we’re still fighting to get a fair contract. 🙏 #unionstrong #solidarity

Want to eat healthier? Add to your diet, rather than limit it Nutrition experts say add more greens and beans to your diet; cooking classes can teach people to make these nutrient-dense foods taste delicious.

We hear a lot about what foods to cut from our diets, but what stood out to me at the recent #Nutrition2025 meeting was the opposite. What foods should we be *adding* to our plates?

(The answers probably won't surprise you!)

www.sciencenews.org/article/heal...

I love working with my colleagues at @sciencenews.bsky.social and so hope we can all get a fair contract soon. 411 days is a long time… @society4science.bsky.social

How to get the biggest splash at the pool using science Move over belly flops and cannonballs. Manu jumps, pioneered by New Zealand’s Māori and Pasifika communities, reign supreme.

I truly love reading about the physics of fun stuff like this.

“The secret to record-setting splashes hinges on a butt-first, V-shaped entry and a well-timed, underwater follow through.”

www.sciencenews.org/article/bigg...

I am here for the tepid takes

FDA cuts imperil food safety, but not how you might think Layoffs at the FDA, USDA and CDC could erode the U.S. food safety system. Experts aren’t so worried about milk or chicken today; they’re concerned about the future.

I had an interesting conversation with former #FDA commissioner Robert Califf. He said recent cuts could erode our food safety system - and it’s hard to predict where it may start to crumble.

“There are a gazillion places where things could go wrong.”

www.sciencenews.org/article/milk...

If remote work is working for people, why change it?

A cup of chickpeas a day lowers cholesterol Adding a cup of chickpeas or black beans to people’s daily diets could improve health by lowering cholesterol and inflammation, a new study suggests.

I’ve been making endless dense bean salad recipes lately, so writing this story about chickpeas felt like perfect timing. One cup a day is doable!

#nutrition #science
www.sciencenews.org/article/chic...

A diet full of tiny plastics triggered health problems in mice Mice exposed to polystyrene nanoplastics developed problems in their guts and livers. It’s not yet clear if humans are similarly affected.

We don't know how exactly micro- and nanoplastics affect human health... but the picture from animal studies is not looking good. www.sciencenews.org/article/nano... #science

A baby wearing a sky-blue graduation cap and gown sits in a crib in a hospital room. He has yellow feeding tube in his nose.

Baby KJ went home today! He has a rare genetic disease that was treated with personalized gene editing.
My story on what it will take for more people like KJ to get treatment for their genetic disorders. www.sciencenews.org/article/pers...
Photo credit: CHOP
#science 🧪

What is the smallest flower in the world? Watermeal. (Wolffia spp.)The smallest species of vascular plants in Europe – Spotless watermeal, Wolffia arrhiza – on human fingers.Every single speck of less than 1 mm length is an individual plant. ...

Mankai! I’m new to the nutrition beat and just learned about this food at #Nutrition2025

Have you heard of it? It’s a tiny aquatic plant from Southeast Asia. Also known as watermeal and duckweed. Also a folate superstar. Also a complete protein. Also very cute.

www.loc.gov/everyday-mys...

I love that this is apparently a thing now!

I didn’t expect to see puppies at the #Nutrition2025 meeting, but they made my day.

Magical! ✨

A common theme at the #Nutrition2025 meeting: Just eat more fiber. Please. 😅

In the US, the recommended amount is 25g/day for women, 38g/day for men.

Americans are getting around half that. 🤯

Excellent talk this morning on the importance of teaching people how and what to cook.

It’s not so much about what *not* to eat, says @culinarymedmd.bsky.social, it’s more about what we need to add to our plates. (Think beans & greens!)

#Nutrition2025

👏

White House MAHA Report may have garbled science by using AI, experts say The report, led by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., was intended to address the reasons for the decline in Americans’ life expectancy.

"Some references include 'oaicite' attached to URLs — a definitive sign that the research was collected using artificial intelligence. The presence of 'oaicite' is a marker indicating use of OpenAI, a U.S. artificial intelligence company."

“… Also, no one is left to write and post drug information summaries, patient information notices and the Cancer Currents blog. The media relations function is gone, too. It’s been transferred to NIH.”

How is this helpful for patients and families?

The faces of RIF: Staff members of NCI’s dissolved communications team gather for a farewell group photo - The Cancer Letter On May 21, staff members of NCI’s dissolved Office of Communications and Public Liaison and friends gathered at the house of Peter Garrett and Ken Crerar.  Garrett, who as the director for External Af...

As someone who writes a lot about cancer, I’m just so sad to see the NCI comms team get laid off.

Here’s what we lost, according to @cancerletter.com

"There is no one left to run the cancer.gov website, the Physician Data Query database, the NCI social media channels, and the patient hotline…