Author | Lightnews

Matt Healy

@matthewdhealy.bsky.social

380 followers 610 following 1.5K posts

Techbio, Virology, Drug Discovery, Data, Midwest, Engineering, NLP, science, theology, history of science https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6439-5038

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Matt Healy @matthewdhealy.bsky.social · Jun 27

The meaning of my new profile image:

“Not just a poetic metaphor but scientific fact: the carbon in our cells, the calcium in our bones, and even the gold in our rings were all forged in stars that exploded long before our solar system formed. We don’t just come from the stars. We ARE stardust.”

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Matt Healy @matthewdhealy.bsky.social · 2h

Frances Perkins, Secretary of Labor. If you don't know about her, look her up. A LOT of good things we take for granted might not exist without her.

Matt Healy @matthewdhealy.bsky.social · 7h

A fascinating "what if" on the electoral-vote.com website...

B.T. in Corpus Christi, TX, asks: If Operation Valkyrie had succeeded, what are the likely World War II outcomes?

(Z) answers: The attempt took place on July 20, 1944, by which time the D-Day invasion had succeeded and the Allies had definitively seized the initiative in Europe. This being the case, it's hard to see how the war in Europe would have ended much differently. There would have been less death and destruction, since there would have been no Battle of the Bulge and no bombing of Dresden, and the concentration camps would have been liberated earlier. However, it still would have ended with a complete German surrender and partitioning (even though the conspirators entertained the fantasy that they would not only be able to keep the nation together, but they would be allowed to retain Czechoslovakia, Austria and Poland).

Where it might have made a big difference is in Asia. The atomic bombs were most certainly not ready by July of 1944. And there would have been enormous political pressure on the leadership of the Allied powers to bring that part of the war to an end. So, instead of two nuclear bombs followed by a surrender, there might have been a massive invasion of Japan and its occupied territories by some sort of joint Russian-British-American force. That would have been bloody, indeed.

Meanwhile, if the world was not given a lesson in the destructive power of nuclear arms, that might well have come some years later, by which time the bombs were vastly more powerful. That would have been very bloody, as well

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Matt Healy @matthewdhealy.bsky.social · 7h

From The Guardian:

Recent events have once again highlighted the blind spots of Israeli media coverage on both sides of the Gazan border. Every outlet seeks to examine every possible angle of Hamas’s violations of the ceasefire. And, in general, the fact that Hamas has been stalling the return of the bodies of killed Israeli hostages has dominated the headlines.

By contrast, coverage of civilian casualties in Gaza resulting from Israeli strikes has received little attention – if any. Take the Israeli retaliatory attacks following Sunday’s Rafah incident, in which two soldiers were killed. While Gaza’s authorities reported 44 deaths, Israeli television commentators criticised the “light response”, which targeted only infrastructure.

Matt Healy @matthewdhealy.bsky.social · 16h

As awful as the destruction of the White House is, if this is what finally shocks the GOP to their senses maybe it will be good for the country.

Matt Healy @matthewdhealy.bsky.social · 18h

Are we about to watch the plot of this novel about a failing President starting a reckless war on druglords in real life?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clear_a...

Matt Healy @matthewdhealy.bsky.social · 1d

A “Chordate GOP” would need to re-evolve a spine, a head, and bilateral sense — in other words, rediscover both principles and perception. Until then, the currents of media and money will keep its Cnidarian descendant pulsing and drifting, beautifully efficient at stinging but incapable of steering.

Matt Healy @matthewdhealy.bsky.social · 2d

America’s governing paralysis has a biological analogue. The Republican Party has evolved into a cnidarian life form — decentralized, translucent, and reactive. Like a jellyfish, it has no brain, only a nerve net that fires when touched. Stimuli come from grievance media, campaign donors, and online mobs; the organism pulsates, lashes out, then drifts on. It can sting, but it cannot steer. That’s why serious policy — on AI governance, climate adaptation, or infrastructure — now emerges mainly from states, courts, and foreign allies. The national party long ago surrendered thought for reflex.

Matt Healy @matthewdhealy.bsky.social · 1d

Screenshot of an X post. The top post, by user “Quack man (@dwdlisney55),” says: “But it is what they voted for. Trump was very clear as to what he was going to do. No excuses.”

Below it is a quoted post from Jessica Tarlov (@JessicaTarlov) dated Oct 22, reading: “Donald Trump is building a ballroom twice the size of the White House. He says it’s ‘his money,’ but it’s really from companies chasing favors. Meanwhile, farmers can’t sell soybeans and the government’s shut down. This isn’t what Americans voted for.”

The quoted post includes a photo of Jessica Tarlov speaking on television, wearing a red blazer and glasses, against a blue studio background.

Matt Healy @matthewdhealy.bsky.social · 2d

Reposted by Matt Healy

Conservation of Anger Momentum @primarylupine.bsky.social · 2d

Even more circular, allegedly, Biff Tannen's character in BTTF 2 was based on Trump.

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Reposted by Matt Healy

Total Lowlife Hat @kenwhite.bsky.social · 2d

I for one think the Epstein Ballroom will be magnificent. I love the decor theme of “what if Uday Hussein ran a Ramada Inn.” And giving it a theme song everyone will associate with it is a stroke of brilliance! “Thank Heaven for Little Girls” is very catchy.

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Matt Healy @matthewdhealy.bsky.social · 2d

Mayo Clinic will be out of network for some big Medicare Advantage programs, but will accept traditional Medicare. Just more evidence that Medicare Advantage is fundamentally flawed.

www.kttc.com/2025/10/22/m...

Mayo Clinic will be out-of-network for certain Medicare Advantage plans in 2026

UnitedHealthCare (UHC) and Humana both confirmed to KTTC they would not provide individual Medicare Advantage plans for Mayo Clinic patients, starting Jan. 1.

www.kttc.com

Matt Healy @matthewdhealy.bsky.social · 2d

Google Power Tower. One of the most cost-effective exercise devices put there. A major part of my recovery from chemo.

Reposted by Matt Healy

John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 2d

Oooooh just thought of something I could post that immediately reminded me that the person who needs my warning about "The Failure Mode of Clever" the most is 100% me

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Matt Healy @matthewdhealy.bsky.social · 3d

Many say Roe v. Wade created the Religious Right—but that’s misleading. The real spark was racism. Two little-known cases, Green v. Connally and Coit v. Green, ended tax exemptions for segregation academies that sprang up after Brown v. Board.

Matt Healy @matthewdhealy.bsky.social · 4d

The “good people” Trump has pardoned sometimes go on to commit new crimes — but I can’t find anyone systematically tracking it. From what I can piece together, the numbers are surprisingly vague.

A pardoned Capitol rioter was arrested last weekend for allegedly threatening to kill House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, according to CBS News. That made me wonder how many of the “good people” Trump has pardoned have gone on to commit new crimes — but I can’t find anyone systematically tracking it.
From what I can piece together, the numbers are surprisingly vague:
First-Term Trump Pardons: about 237
Of those, at least 10 —and possibly as many as 30 — have been convicted or indicted for serious offenses committed after receiving their pardons.
Second-Term Trump Pardons: roughly 1,500 to 1,600, including large numbers of Jan 6 defendants.
Of those, already several have landed back in the headlines for new legal trouble — and the term isn’t even over.

Reposted by Matt Healy

Patrick McCann @pjmccann3.bsky.social · 4d

Calling all #virologists🧪

@amersocvirology.bsky.social @europeanvirology.bsky.social @cansocvirol.bsky.social @ausvirologysoc.bsky.social @cidrap.bsky.social @utrechtvirology.bsky.social @matthewdhealy.bsky.social @angierasmussen.bsky.social @wallenmiller.bsky.social

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Public trust in science has declined since COVID — virologists need to unite around safety standards

Creating international viral biosafety guidelines are key to clearing up confusion, regaining trust and ensuring that essential research continues.

www.nature.com

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Matt Healy @matthewdhealy.bsky.social · 7d

Dunning-Kruger: it's more complicated and more subtle than most articles about it say. Here's an interview with Dunning himself.

www.openmindmag.org/articles/dav...

David Dunning: Overcoming Overconfidence

Dunning, co-discoverer of the Dunning-Kruger effect, investigates the misinformation gap built into our brains: We don't know what we don't know.

www.openmindmag.org

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Matt Healy @matthewdhealy.bsky.social · 8d

Online we can self-assemble faster than ever—sometimes for rescue, sometimes for ruin. Gutenberg’s press birthed both science and religious wars; the digital press may prove just as double-edged.

Matt Healy @matthewdhealy.bsky.social · 8d

GOP doesn't want you to know this:

"The main reason for the shortfall is rising inequality: a growing share of wages are going to people making more than the Social Security maximum, and income above the maximum isn’t taxed."

paulkrugman.substack.com/p/the-clean-...

Matt Healy @matthewdhealy.bsky.social · 8d

Stolen from a comment:

WEI Hire

White
Entitled
Incompetent

MANY examples in this Administration

Matt Healy @matthewdhealy.bsky.social · 9d

Both Left and Right are missing key issues after the Kirk shooting.

The Right is fixated on blaming mostly peaceful protesters — as mainstream media keep pointing out — while the Left tends to focus on gun laws.

I support stronger U.S. gun control, but even British-style laws might not have stopped the Kirk shooting. The shooter used an old bolt-action rifle and had a clean record. Someone like that could probably still legally own a rifle in the U.K. for sport or pest control, as thousands of people there do.

The real gap is security design, not just legislation or ideology: how to protect open events from motivated individuals who can plan, practice, and act with minimal warning.

Matt Healy @matthewdhealy.bsky.social · 9d

I’ve seen claims that officers focused on peaceful protesters with a Pride banner just before the shot that killed Charlie Kirk — but I haven’t found any confirmation from reputable sources.

What is documented: only about six officers for ~3,000 people, no bag checking, and no security on nearby rooftops.

So the banner-diversion story is unverified. But given the stakes, FBI/ATF should examine every credible lead on security failures and rapidly issue clear, specific guidance campuses can implement now. After the Trump and Kirk shootings, rooftops and other elevated points nearby especially need active monitoring.

Far more people than you might think could acquire the skill needed for a long shot with an old rifle in just a few months if they're motivated.

Matt Healy @matthewdhealy.bsky.social · 9d

The Pope is a Sox fan from Chicago. Yesterday at a Vatican event somebody in the crowd yelled "Go Cubs".

His Holiness retorted, in both English & Spanish, "They lost!"

Matt Healy @matthewdhealy.bsky.social · 9d

Kristi Noem, like so many of the women around Trump, appears to have had their standard plastic surgery procedure: extract the soul, emulsify it, and use the emulsified remnants to fill in facial contours.

Matt Healy @matthewdhealy.bsky.social · 10d

The ugly reality resulting from machismo, bigotry, and secrecy:

www.politico.com/news/magazin...