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Emily Mullin

@emilymullin.bsky.social

19K followers 420 following 150 posts

Staff writer @wired.com, covering health+biotech Contact me: [email protected] or emullin.06 on Signal emilymullin.com

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Emily Mullin @emilymullin.bsky.social · Jul 21

You've heard of Elon Musk's Neuralink. But there's another company that's allowing paralyzed people to control computers with their thoughts without the need for invasive brain surgery.

Read my deep dive on Synchron for @wired.com: www.wired.com/story/synchr...

There's Neuralink—and There's the Mind-Reading Company That Might Surpass It

Unlike Elon Musk's brain-computer interface, Synchron's doesn't require open-skull surgery, and it has an OpenAI chatbot baked in.

www.wired.com

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Reposted by Emily Mullin

Manisha Krishnan @manishakrishnan.bsky.social · 2d

New from @sameagan.bsky.social: The right has capitalized off manosphere fitness content for years, but the left is finally pushing back. One prominent Democratic operative offered two fitness influencers over $10K each to make leftist content: www.wired.com/story/as-the...

As the Right Leans Into ‘Warrior’ Culture, Some Leftist Gym Bros Are Pushing Back

Right-wing fitness content has dominated the manosphere for years. Leftist gym influencers have taken notice—with some even being paid thousands of dollars to counter it.

www.wired.com

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Emily Mullin @emilymullin.bsky.social · 5h

The panel instead recommended confusing language around "individual-based decision-making." That just means talking to a doctor or pharmacist about the risks and benefits of the vaccine. In practice, this shouldn't change how or where you get the vaccine this fall: www.wired.com/story/covid-...

Covid Shots Are About to Be Widely Available Again

The CDC no longer broadly recommends the Covid-19 vaccine, but US residents will still be able to get one if they want.

www.wired.com

Emily Mullin @emilymullin.bsky.social · 5h

Last month, CDC's vaccine advisory group hand-picked by RFK Jr. had considered a proposal to require a prescription for the Covid vaccine. That proposal was narrowly defeated: www.wired.com/story/rfk-jr...

RFK Jr.’s Vaccine Panel Votes Down Its Own Proposal to Require Prescriptions for Covid-19 Shots

In a chaotic meeting, ACIP voted not to recommend a prescription requirement for Covid-19 vaccines. Some panelists seemed unaware of the point of the meeting, while others went on strange tangents.

www.wired.com

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Emily Mullin @emilymullin.bsky.social · 6h

Despite indications that RFK Jr. would limit access to Covid vaccines, shots will be widely available again soon with insurance still covering them (at least through the end of the year). My latest for @wired.com: www.wired.com/story/covid-...

Covid Shots Are About to Be Widely Available Again

The CDC no longer broadly recommends the Covid-19 vaccine, but US residents will still be able to get one if they want.

www.wired.com

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Emily Mullin @emilymullin.bsky.social · 8d

Apropos of nothing, if you are an HHS employee and would like to securely send me a tip, you can contact me at emullin.06 on Signal. Or send me an anonymous email here: www.emilymullin.com/contact

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Emily Mullin @emilymullin.bsky.social · 8d

EXCLUSIVE: Startup Cognixion is launching the first-of-its-kind clinical trial to use the Apple Vision Pro as a brain-computer interface to help severely paralyzed people communicate.

www.wired.com/story/this-s...

This Startup Wants to Put Its Brain-Computer Interface in the Apple Vision Pro

California-based Cognixion is launching a clinical trial to allow paralyzed patients with speech disorders the ability to communicate without an invasive brain implant.

www.wired.com

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Emily Mullin @emilymullin.bsky.social · 9d

NEW: In a controversial step that raises the possibility of a new kind of infertility treatment, scientists made eggs from human skin cells.

Spoiler: The resulting embryos were abnormal and importantly, they weren't used to start a pregnancy. My story for @wired.com: www.wired.com/story/scient...

Scientists Made Human Eggs from Skin Cells and Used Them to Form Embryos

The embryos weren’t used to try to establish a pregnancy, but the researchers behind the technique say it could one day be used to address infertility.

www.wired.com

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Emily Mullin @emilymullin.bsky.social · 14d

My local women’s hiking group is doing a horse yoga event and I have questions.

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Emily Mullin @emilymullin.bsky.social · 15d

This is actually up for debate!

Emily Mullin @emilymullin.bsky.social · 15d

There's actually debate about this! Plus, not everyone wants to have a psychedelic experience or should have one for medical reasons.

Emily Mullin @emilymullin.bsky.social · 15d

EXCLUSIVE: A startup used AI to develop a psychedelic without the trip—and it worked (in a small, initial study).

It's part of a new class of drugs that could hopefully treat mental illness without the intensity of traditional psychedelics.

My latest for @wired.com: www.wired.com/story/a-star...

A Startup Used AI to Make a Psychedelic Without the Trip

Mindstate Design Labs, backed by Silicon Valley power players, has created what its CEO calls “the least psychedelic psychedelic that’s psychoactive.”

www.wired.com

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Emily Mullin @emilymullin.bsky.social · 15d

Coming to a city near you

evy kwong @evystadium.bsky.social · 16d

ayo @wired.com

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Emily Mullin @emilymullin.bsky.social · 19d

After recording 12+ hours of the ACIP meeting, my transcription software service just warned me that I am approaching my monthly account minutes limit.💀

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Emily Mullin @emilymullin.bsky.social · 19d

Today, ACIP voted down its own proposal to require prescriptions for Covid vaccines.

It also voted to recommend “individual-based decision-making,” aka talk to a healthcare provider before getting one.

So, uh, what exactly was the point of this meeting?
www.wired.com/story/rfk-jr...

RFK Jr.’s Vaccine Panel Votes Down Its Own Proposal to Require Prescriptions for Covid-19 Shots

In a chaotic meeting, ACIP voted not to recommend a prescription requirement for Covid-19 vaccines. Some panelists seemed unaware of the point of the meeting, while others went on strange tangents.

www.wired.com

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Emily Mullin @emilymullin.bsky.social · 20d

At the ACIP meeting this afternoon, a representative from the American Pharmacists Association had to point out to members that in many states, the authority for pharmacists to give vaccines is based on ACIP recommendations.

It's as if the new ACIP members don't actually know what ACIP does.

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Emily Mullin @emilymullin.bsky.social · 20d

They tabled it for consideration at a future ACIP meeting.

Emily Mullin @emilymullin.bsky.social · 20d

That was the question that a few ACIP members and several representatives from professional medical organizations who were in attendance had as well. We reported this in our story yesterday: www.wired.com/story/vaccin...

Vaccine Panel Stacked by RFK Jr. Recommends Delaying MMRV Immunization

The vaccine advisory group ACIP, not all members of which seemed to know what the group does, recommended to the CDC that combined MMRV shots not be given before age 4.

www.wired.com

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Emily Mullin @emilymullin.bsky.social · 20d

I just meant the topic that was up for debate.

Emily Mullin @emilymullin.bsky.social · 20d

Sorry, what are you asking?

Emily Mullin @emilymullin.bsky.social · 20d

He said, "We are going to focus on personalized risk benefit analysis, and we're going to very much stay away from the narratives or the statements about 'safe and effective.'"

Emily Mullin @emilymullin.bsky.social · 20d

Day 2 of ACIP: The committee just voted 11-1 in favor of tabling the hepatitis B vaccine issue. This was the anticipated vote language:

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Emily Mullin @emilymullin.bsky.social · 20d

I watched 7 hours of yesterday's ACIP meeting so you didn't have to.
www.wired.com/story/vaccin...

Vaccine Panel Stacked by RFK Jr. Recommends Delaying MMRV Immunization

The vaccine advisory group ACIP, not all members of which seemed to know what the group does, recommended to the CDC that combined MMRV shots not be given before age 4.

www.wired.com

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Emily Mullin @emilymullin.bsky.social · 21d

At ACIP meeting, Joseph Hibbeln and Cody Meissner are questioning why they're being asked to evaluate changing MMRV and hep B vaccine recommendations when there's no new data on either. Will be watching to see if these two are mysteriously dropped from ACIP in coming months.

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Emily Mullin @emilymullin.bsky.social · 21d

ICYMI: Former CDC director Susan Monarez says RFK Jr. demanded she sign off on changes to the vaccine schedule regardless of whether they were backed by scientific evidence.

“Even under pressure, I could not replace evidence with ideology or compromise my integrity."
www.wired.com/story/susan-...

Fired CDC Director Says RFK Jr. Pressured Her to Blindly Approve Vaccine Changes

Susan Monarez told a Senate committee that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. demanded she dismiss career officials without cause—and accept vaccine recommendations regardless of whether science backed them up.

www.wired.com

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Emily Mullin @emilymullin.bsky.social · 22d

In case you wondering, we continue to not use ChatGPT at WIRED to write our story drafts.

Oliver Darcy @oliverdarcy.bsky.social · 22d

Scoop: Business Insider informed its staff this week that they are allowed to use ChatGPT to generate first drafts of their stories, while also indicating the newsroom will not disclose such A.I. use to readers.

Details in @status.news: www.status.news/p/business-i...

Business Insider and the Bots

The Axel Springer-owned newsroom is buzzing over new ChatGPT writing guidelines—part of an aggressive A.I. strategy pushed by its German parentco and detailed in a memo obtained by Status.

www.status.news

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