Dr Sian Gramates
@drglam.bsky.social
1.3K followers 1.3K following 500 posts
Biocurator, feminist, molecular neuroscientist, pagan, Drosophila geneticist, comics geek, cat adorer, coping with disability DrGlam nearly everywhere
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Reposted by Dr Sian Gramates
paleofuture.bsky.social
This is the thing. Republicans blocked a standalone Dem bill in the House to pay the troops because they thought it would weaken their ability to just get Dems to fold on the clean CR.
thomweaver24.bsky.social
That sound you just heard is Johnson and Thune loudly shitting themselves. He just completely eliminated their leverage
paleofuture.bsky.social
Trump says he’s ordered Hegseth to pay the troops during the government shutdown.

“We have identified funds to do this, and Secretary Hegseth will use them to PAY OUR TROOPS.”
Reposted by Dr Sian Gramates
volts.wtf
Turns out protest alone was never what changed things, it was protest *plus media coverage of protests*, which prompted officials to respond to protests, which increased public awareness of protests, etc.

If the protest happens & corporate media simply ignores it ... it's inert.
ineptitudinous.bsky.social
Six out of eight of the largest mass-movement protests in US history have happened since 2017. You wouldn't know this from most media reporting, and you sure af wouldn't know this from the way either major party has reacted.
Reposted by Dr Sian Gramates
victorerikray.bsky.social
In this area of unsettled politics, I am continually shocked at who I find myself aligned with. But this Cato Institute take down of the authoritarian “compact” is good.
walterolson.bsky.social
New from me at Cato: I go through the numerous and massive First Amendment and academic-freedom violations of Trump's proffered "compact" with universities and then talk about the mechanism by which it would be enforced, by way of what I describe as a "retroactive push-button guillotine."
Universities Must Defend Their Independence by Rejecting Trump's "Compact"
The Trump administration has proffered a “compact” to universities that would require them to surrender their independence and academic freedom. How many First Amendment violations can we identify in ...
www.cato.org
Reposted by Dr Sian Gramates
kalimurray.bsky.social
What drives me nuts about this dialogue: diversity and inclusion training was a corporate response to the statutory requirements civil rights laws. None of these laws have been repealed by Congress. Congress can pass the laws under Section 5 of the 14th Amendment, which has also not been repealed.
itsafronomics.bsky.social
lol gentle reminder that DEI is not illegal. Supporting marginalized groups is not illegal. Anyone reneging on support is making a CHOICE to do so.
Reposted by Dr Sian Gramates
altacadia.bsky.social
We 💯 support Amphifa! Give me ribbety, or give me death. 🐸
A poster for "Amphifa: amphibians against fascism" showing a black and green flag with a green frog Three protestors dressed in inflatable frog costumes holding a sign that says "Portland frog brigade"
Reposted by Dr Sian Gramates
chanda.blacksky.app
The Harvard Crimson is very clear about what’s happening to their campus and student workers.

www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
FOOTBALL
The Harvard Crimson
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY, EST. 1873 | VOLUME CLI, NO. 21 | CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS | FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2025
DIVERSITY OFFICES
Out of Work After
DEI Office Closures
POLITICS
Trump
Claims White
House Is Nearing
Harvard Deal
Harvard Football
Beats Brown in Ivy Opener
SWEET REVENGE. Harvard roared back after last year's fourth-quarter loss to Brown, securing a decisive 41-7 win over the Bears. The home game was the first in a decade to take place on a
Saturday night.
SEE PAGE 22
BY DHRUV T. PATEL,
AVANI B. RAI, AND SAKETH SUNDAR
CRIMSON STAFF WRITERS
COLLEGE ADMIN
Inside the Harvard-Radcliffe
Orchestra
*FELT LIKE A SECRET/ When Harvard College's three diversity offices shut their doors in July, more than 30 undergraduate interns lost their jobs and for weeks after the office closures, nobody told them.
SEE INTERNS ON PAGE G
XINY! C. ZHANG - CRIMSON DESIGNER
President Donald Trump told reporters on Tuesday in the Oval Office that the White House had
"reached a deal" with Harvard, before cautioning that the agreement had not been finalized.
"All you have to do is paper it, right?" Trump asked Education Secretary Linda E. McMahon, who concurred. "It'll be great."
When a reporter asked for more information on the details of the deal, Trump seemed to back up, saying an agreement was not yet finalized.
"We're in the process of getting very close, Lindas finishing up the final details, and they'd be paying about $500 million, "Trump said.
"And they'll be operating trade schools, and they'll beteachingpeo-ple how to do Al and lots of other things. Engines, lots of things," he added.
A Harvard spokesperson
did
not immediately respond to a request for comment.
neynected
announce-
Reposted by Dr Sian Gramates
lenasun.bsky.social
RIF notices also sent to the CDC’s 2023 and 2024 class of civilian EIS officers known as its main disease detectives, per sources. These are the people who are typically the first responders in an outbreak. 4/4
Reposted by Dr Sian Gramates
whitehouse.senate.gov
Before us are illegal and unnecessary Republican mass firings, which they will own; behind us, millions of Americans whose health care Republicans attack, and will own.

We stand our ground.

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/11/u...
Trump’s Shutdown Layoffs Deepen Impasse, Angering Democrats
www.nytimes.com
Reposted by Dr Sian Gramates
zohrankmamdani.bsky.social
UNTIL IT’S DONE, Ep. 4: Sylvia Rivera

In the 1970s, queer New Yorkers had been pushed to the margins of NYC. Our trans neighbors faced immense cruelty. But in Sylvia Rivera, they found a champion.

As we combat Trump’s politics of darkness, her legacy can light the path forward.
Reposted by Dr Sian Gramates
dynamicsymmetry.bsky.social
Okay so I’m not a strategist and I’m trying to not PLAY strategist very much but if I can just say: I think this should be a model for Dems all over the country, even in conservative areas

Not in literal content but in sentiment. “Trans people are vulnerable and targeted and that’s wrong”
zohrankmamdani.bsky.social
UNTIL IT’S DONE, Ep. 4: Sylvia Rivera

In the 1970s, queer New Yorkers had been pushed to the margins of NYC. Our trans neighbors faced immense cruelty. But in Sylvia Rivera, they found a champion.

As we combat Trump’s politics of darkness, her legacy can light the path forward.
Reposted by Dr Sian Gramates
kylegriffin1.bsky.social
A library director in Wyoming who was fired two years ago because she refused to remove books with sexual content and LGBTQ themes from a library's children and young adult sections has just been awarded $700,000 in a settlement. t.co/EA5L1kOZfV
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/us/wyoming-library-settlement-book-bans-terri-lesley.html?smtyp=cur&smid=fb-nytimes&fbclid=IwdGRjcANWLXdleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHhlnY6nKj_j4zuP3VjNSstXWBaV1t8-sPQ5C3b_jS6WN...
t.co
Reposted by Dr Sian Gramates
thetnholler.bsky.social
“I’m worried about my community… I’m out here in a frog costume to show how ridiculous the notion that we’re violent terrorists is, and showcase how that narrative is wrong…”

Serious Q: is it too late to give this dude the Nobel Peace Prize? 🐸 🏆
Reposted by Dr Sian Gramates
dan-sinnamon.bsky.social
i am feeling, i am seeing, i am hearing, i am getting the vibes, that students this sem are better than they've been in years because learning offers a rare haven from authoritarianism, a place to convene, commune, think together, refuel for the fight
annakornbluh.bsky.social
week 7, in a city under siege for 32 days and counting, and the students who are able to come to class despite the blitz are showing up like their lives depend on those 50 minutes of togetherness, poetry, and big questions
miriamposner.com
IDK, man. School started 2 weeks ago for us, and once again students remind me that they’re so curious and interested in the world and anxious to ask big questions. We hear that these questions are no longer useful or relevant, but wherever that’s coming from, it’s not what students believe.
Reposted by Dr Sian Gramates
preibischs.bsky.social
The connectome of the entire male Drosophila central nervous system is out!! Acquired using FIB-SEM @ 8x8x8nm, we aligned 7.5 mio 2D images aligned into one seamless 3D volume, which was used to segment & proofread neurons and synapses. @hhmijanelia.bsky.social

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Dr Sian Gramates
Reposted by Dr Sian Gramates
altcdc.altgov.info
1/2 A reminder to anyone who was RIFed.

💯 you do NOT deserve this.

Quick tips if you do get a RIF notice:
❌ Do not send a read receipt
❌ Do not respond right away - the union will probably provide language for response
✅ Forward notice to your personal email
Reposted by Dr Sian Gramates
adamkeiper.com
You would not fire these people—including the staff of the hugely, HUGELY important 'Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report'—if you cared at all about public health, if you wanted people to live.

And you would not let your thuggish henchmen fire people like this if you were a responsible president.
sherylnyt.bsky.social
BREAKING: Friday night massacre underway at CDC. Doznes of "disease detectives," high-level scientists, entire Washington staff and editors of the MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) have all been RIFed and received the following notice:
Reposted by Dr Sian Gramates
yasharali.bsky.social
Friday night massacre at the CDC per the New York Times.
Sheryl Gay Stolberg • @SherylNYT
X.com
BREAKING: Friday night massacre underway at
CDC. Dozens of "disease detectives," high-level scientists, entire Washington staff and editors of the MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) have all been RIFed and received the following notice:
I regret to inform you that you are being affected by a reduction in force (RIF) action. Please find attached a notice memorandum explaining the RIF and next steps. This RIF action does not reflect directly on your service, performance, or conduct. It is being taken solely for the reasons stated in the memorandum.
After you receive this notice, you will be placed on administrative leave and will no longer have building access beginning Friday, October 10, unless directed otherwise by your leadership. Additionally, please save this email and its attachments, or forward them to a personal email address, for your records.
Leadership at HHS appreciates your service.
Reposted by Dr Sian Gramates
bioniclab.bsky.social
NIH cuts save $9-10B short-term, but they’re killing 202K jobs & $46B in red-state economies (TX, FL, OH). $8T healthcare disaster loom, no cancer/Alzheimer’s cures, pricier drugs. Scientists fleeing to China? Bad deal. Fight for NIH!
www.the-scientist.com/nih-leadersh...

#AmericaFirst
NIH Leadership Is Failing Early Career Researchers
Halted training programs, funding chaos, and hiring freezes jeopardize advancement options for early career researchers.
www.the-scientist.com
drglam.bsky.social
I feel you. I feel you so hard. Still missing my little man Byron, who I said goodbye to last month.
A black and white cat sprawls on his side, looking directly at the camera.
Reposted by Dr Sian Gramates
drannecarpenter.bsky.social
15 years in the making, we confirmed that mitochondria - the powerhouse of the cell - have an unusual localization in patients who experience psychosis (including schizophrenia and bipolar disorders). You’ll never guess what kind of patient cells we used to make this discovery… 🧵
mitochondria from bipolar patients are closer to the nucleus in these images; control patients' are spread out further
Reposted by Dr Sian Gramates
maaloufmd.bsky.social
So this IL Hospital Association memo describes an incident where ICE detained a US citizen, gave them HEART PROBLEMS, took them to a hospital where the fought with medical personnel, then left when they realized they detained a CITIZEN.
Reposted by Dr Sian Gramates
vanhollen.senate.gov
This is what courage in the face of authoritarianism looks like. No university should take Trump's bribe & surrender their integrity — bending the knee to a bully only feeds the beast & puts ALL our rights at risk.

Others should follows MIT’s example ASAP.
MIT rejects Trump administration deal for priority federal funding
MIT is one of the nine schools that were asked to agree to adopt conservative priorities and policies in exchange for funding perks.
www.washingtonpost.com