Hank Greely
@hankgreely.bsky.social
Stanford Law prof, working on ethical, legal, and social issues in the biosciences. Sports fan (especially Stanford sports). And strongly opposed to the illegal & immoral Russian invasion of Ukraine. Slava Ukraini!
Reposted by Hank Greely
My quote of the day
In science, 'fact' can only mean 'confirmed to such a degree that it would be perverse to withhold provisional assent.' I suppose that apples might start to rise tomorrow, but the possibility does not merit equal time in physics classrooms.
Stephen Jay Gould
In science, 'fact' can only mean 'confirmed to such a degree that it would be perverse to withhold provisional assent.' I suppose that apples might start to rise tomorrow, but the possibility does not merit equal time in physics classrooms.
Stephen Jay Gould
December 14, 2025 at 12:31 PM
My quote of the day
In science, 'fact' can only mean 'confirmed to such a degree that it would be perverse to withhold provisional assent.' I suppose that apples might start to rise tomorrow, but the possibility does not merit equal time in physics classrooms.
Stephen Jay Gould
In science, 'fact' can only mean 'confirmed to such a degree that it would be perverse to withhold provisional assent.' I suppose that apples might start to rise tomorrow, but the possibility does not merit equal time in physics classrooms.
Stephen Jay Gould
Reposted by Hank Greely
Reposted by Hank Greely
Deeply predictable. So on-brand. Still maddening.
RFK Jr & his anti-science crew plan to:
1) Lessen labelling requirement for grifters pushing bunk & unproven supplements
2) Put warning labels on highly studied, effective, safe & monitored COVID vaccines
Holy mental gymnastics, Batman!
RFK Jr & his anti-science crew plan to:
1) Lessen labelling requirement for grifters pushing bunk & unproven supplements
2) Put warning labels on highly studied, effective, safe & monitored COVID vaccines
Holy mental gymnastics, Batman!
December 13, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Deeply predictable. So on-brand. Still maddening.
RFK Jr & his anti-science crew plan to:
1) Lessen labelling requirement for grifters pushing bunk & unproven supplements
2) Put warning labels on highly studied, effective, safe & monitored COVID vaccines
Holy mental gymnastics, Batman!
RFK Jr & his anti-science crew plan to:
1) Lessen labelling requirement for grifters pushing bunk & unproven supplements
2) Put warning labels on highly studied, effective, safe & monitored COVID vaccines
Holy mental gymnastics, Batman!
Reposted by Hank Greely
data from the CDC website on measles cases. 2025 has the most cases since 1992...I guess this is what making America healthy again means?
just so....unbelievably....stupid.
just so....unbelievably....stupid.
December 13, 2025 at 5:06 PM
data from the CDC website on measles cases. 2025 has the most cases since 1992...I guess this is what making America healthy again means?
just so....unbelievably....stupid.
just so....unbelievably....stupid.
Another example I hadn't known about two countries divided by a common language (probably but not definitively Shaw). I wonder how often I've misunderstood the meaning of a "homely cottage" in an English work.
I've just replaced "homely" in my book to avoid transatlantic confusion, and am struck again by how one one side it can mean "warm, pleasant" and on the other, "ugly, ill-favoured". That always unsettles me.
December 12, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Another example I hadn't known about two countries divided by a common language (probably but not definitively Shaw). I wonder how often I've misunderstood the meaning of a "homely cottage" in an English work.
Reposted by Hank Greely
Vaccines cause adults
COVID vaccines slashed ER visits by 76% in kids 9 mos-4 yrs, and 56% in older kids, CDC's latest MMWR report found (reposting with story): www.scientificamerican.com/article/covi...
COVID Vaccines Slashed Kids’ ER Visits by 76 Percent, Study Finds
A report published by the CDC reaffirms the effectiveness of COVID vaccines at preventing severe disease in children
www.scientificamerican.com
December 11, 2025 at 9:45 PM
Vaccines cause adults
Reposted by Hank Greely
Mid-PM temps within a few hundred feet of sea level in Central Valley (low 40s F) quickly rise to (low 70s F) just 2,000ft up in surrounding slopes. That's an inversion magnitude of ~30F/2,000ft! Amazingly, airmass atop fog layer is *record warm* despite damp chill right at sfc.
December 11, 2025 at 10:47 PM
Mid-PM temps within a few hundred feet of sea level in Central Valley (low 40s F) quickly rise to (low 70s F) just 2,000ft up in surrounding slopes. That's an inversion magnitude of ~30F/2,000ft! Amazingly, airmass atop fog layer is *record warm* despite damp chill right at sfc.
Reposted by Hank Greely
Summarizing the current state of pricing and coverage for GLP1s in the US with @rachelsachs.bsky.social in @nejm.org this week!
Read it before things change (again)!
www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
Read it before things change (again)!
www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
Insurance Coverage and Pricing of Weight-Loss Drugs in the United States | NEJM
The Trump administration’s agreements regarding glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists
could reduce prices and improve access for some patients — and lead to substantial
additional spending.
www.nejm.org
December 10, 2025 at 11:35 PM
Summarizing the current state of pricing and coverage for GLP1s in the US with @rachelsachs.bsky.social in @nejm.org this week!
Read it before things change (again)!
www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
Read it before things change (again)!
www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Hank Greely
How much of the observed global warming was caused by humans? Science's best estimate: ALL OF IT
To be clear: the new, near-exclusive emphasis on natural causes of climate change on the U.S. EPA's website is now completely out of synch with all available evidence demonstrating overwhelming human influence on contemporary warming trends.
December 10, 2025 at 9:07 PM
How much of the observed global warming was caused by humans? Science's best estimate: ALL OF IT
In @newyorker.com newsletter by E Tammy Kim: "So far this year, more than 300k federal employees—of around 2 m total—have left government service, either voluntarily or involuntarily. (68k employees have been hired, a figure that likely includes civil servants who were fired & then brought back.)
December 10, 2025 at 10:33 PM
In @newyorker.com newsletter by E Tammy Kim: "So far this year, more than 300k federal employees—of around 2 m total—have left government service, either voluntarily or involuntarily. (68k employees have been hired, a figure that likely includes civil servants who were fired & then brought back.)
I have a friend whose 4 month old died as a result of RSV infection leading to heart failure. The Trump Administration, in this as in much else, is deadly
In Ireland we probably averted about 500 newborn RSV hospitalizations once nirsevimab was introduced last year (~75% risk reduction). Uptake was > 80%, and that's what's threatened by these cynical safety concerns from the antivaxxers in the US government.
www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...
December 10, 2025 at 8:15 PM
I have a friend whose 4 month old died as a result of RSV infection leading to heart failure. The Trump Administration, in this as in much else, is deadly
Reposted by Hank Greely
Yet another 'could not make this up, must double check that this isn't The Onion' moment for this ridiculous administration. PS surely they should want an American font, not one from Europe... 😵💫 www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Font of ‘wasteful’ diversity: Trump’s state department orders return to Times New Roman
A cable from Marco Rubio reportedly said cutting Calibri from official communication would ‘abolish yet another wasteful DEIA program’
www.theguardian.com
December 10, 2025 at 10:29 AM
Yet another 'could not make this up, must double check that this isn't The Onion' moment for this ridiculous administration. PS surely they should want an American font, not one from Europe... 😵💫 www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Reposted by Hank Greely
Sperm banks should be much more strictly regulated. (particularly, only accepting donations from registered donors). The banks don't seem to make the slightest effort to avoid these cases.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Sperm from donor with cancer-causing gene was used to conceive almost 200 children
Some children have already died and only a minority who inherit the mutation will escape cancer in their lifetimes.
www.bbc.com
December 10, 2025 at 10:22 AM
Sperm banks should be much more strictly regulated. (particularly, only accepting donations from registered donors). The banks don't seem to make the slightest effort to avoid these cases.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Reposted by Hank Greely
Republican Congressman Joe Wilson noted that Ukraine agreed to all six proposals that Trump presented this year, while Russia did not support any of them.
December 10, 2025 at 12:21 PM
Republican Congressman Joe Wilson noted that Ukraine agreed to all six proposals that Trump presented this year, while Russia did not support any of them.
Reposted by Hank Greely
Great NYT piece showing that despite massive changes in law & policy after Dobbs, the # of abortions have increased every year. That could change quickly, but is quite remarkable. ⭐ quotes from @dsc250.bsky.social @carolejoffe.bsky.social @ushma.bsky.social & others. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/09/u...
Three Years After Dobbs, ‘the Reality Is People Are Getting Abortions’
www.nytimes.com
December 10, 2025 at 1:43 PM
Great NYT piece showing that despite massive changes in law & policy after Dobbs, the # of abortions have increased every year. That could change quickly, but is quite remarkable. ⭐ quotes from @dsc250.bsky.social @carolejoffe.bsky.social @ushma.bsky.social & others. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/09/u...
Reposted by Hank Greely
If the Trump FDA does eventually tighten abortion pill regulation, all of these public quotes that identify it as a political decision will only make the arbitrary & capricious challenge stronger... bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-12-08/fda-slow-walking-a-long-awaited-abortion-pill-safety-study
FDA Slow Walking a Long-Awaited Abortion Pill Safety Study
The Food and Drug Administration has delayed a promised review of safety data for the abortion drug mifepristone at Commissioner Marty Makary’s request to put it off until after the midterm elections,...
bloomberg.com
December 10, 2025 at 1:35 PM
If the Trump FDA does eventually tighten abortion pill regulation, all of these public quotes that identify it as a political decision will only make the arbitrary & capricious challenge stronger... bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-12-08/fda-slow-walking-a-long-awaited-abortion-pill-safety-study
Reposted by Hank Greely
The firms in this area are way overpromising too ipscell.com/2025/11/nucl...
Nucleus Genomics faces criticism as it and other firms promise embryo optimization despite unresolved scientific, ethical questions - The Niche
Stem cell biologist discusses how elective IVF firm Nucleus Genomics faces serious accusations including of plagiarism.
ipscell.com
December 10, 2025 at 7:53 PM
The firms in this area are way overpromising too ipscell.com/2025/11/nucl...
Reposted by Hank Greely
I'm curious to see how they expect to enforce that position. If a couple, w/o revealing that they have used polygenic testing, says "we want to transfer embryo #3," what is the clinic to do?
It was good to get clarification from the HFEA that polygenic scores for IVF in the UK obtained from overseas (US) canNOT be used for embryo selection.
Really interesting to hear from Alan Handyside how pre-implantation genetic diagnosis began in 1990 w/his team (+Robert Winston) at Hammersmith.
Really interesting to hear from Alan Handyside how pre-implantation genetic diagnosis began in 1990 w/his team (+Robert Winston) at Hammersmith.
December 10, 2025 at 7:47 PM
I'm curious to see how they expect to enforce that position. If a couple, w/o revealing that they have used polygenic testing, says "we want to transfer embryo #3," what is the clinic to do?
Reposted by Hank Greely
They thought their paper might be too clinical for Nature, but were persuaded (by Ann McLaren, I think) to give it a shot. John Maddox was v keen for the paper to be out in time for the Commons decision on embryo research, & got it reviewed in 3 days.
www.nature.com/articles/344...
www.nature.com/articles/344...
Pregnancies from biopsied human preimplantation embryos sexed by Y-specific DNA amplification - Nature
Nature - Pregnancies from biopsied human preimplantation embryos sexed by Y-specific DNA amplification
www.nature.com
December 10, 2025 at 6:31 PM
They thought their paper might be too clinical for Nature, but were persuaded (by Ann McLaren, I think) to give it a shot. John Maddox was v keen for the paper to be out in time for the Commons decision on embryo research, & got it reviewed in 3 days.
www.nature.com/articles/344...
www.nature.com/articles/344...
Reposted by Hank Greely
Justice Jackson to Solicitor General Sauer (just now, in Trump v. Slaughter arguments):
December 8, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Justice Jackson to Solicitor General Sauer (just now, in Trump v. Slaughter arguments):
Reposted by Hank Greely
@pluralistic.net.web.brid.gy: "AI is the asbestos in the walls of our technological society, stuffed there with wild abandon by a finance sector and tech monopolists run amok. We will be excavating it for a generation or more."
There is so much genius in this essay
pluralistic.net/2025/12/05/p...
There is so much genius in this essay
pluralistic.net/2025/12/05/p...
Pluralistic: The Reverse-Centaur’s Guide to Criticizing AI (05 Dec 2025) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow
pluralistic.net
December 10, 2025 at 1:21 AM
@pluralistic.net.web.brid.gy: "AI is the asbestos in the walls of our technological society, stuffed there with wild abandon by a finance sector and tech monopolists run amok. We will be excavating it for a generation or more."
There is so much genius in this essay
pluralistic.net/2025/12/05/p...
There is so much genius in this essay
pluralistic.net/2025/12/05/p...
In a review of a book on stupidity, discussing the (in)famous error of blowing up a beached whale carcass www.newyorker.com/culture/open...
Concludes "To err is human. Intelligent people sometimes do stupid things. We all blow up a whale from time to time; the important point is not to do it again"
Concludes "To err is human. Intelligent people sometimes do stupid things. We all blow up a whale from time to time; the important point is not to do it again"
www.newyorker.com
December 10, 2025 at 3:50 AM
In a review of a book on stupidity, discussing the (in)famous error of blowing up a beached whale carcass www.newyorker.com/culture/open...
Concludes "To err is human. Intelligent people sometimes do stupid things. We all blow up a whale from time to time; the important point is not to do it again"
Concludes "To err is human. Intelligent people sometimes do stupid things. We all blow up a whale from time to time; the important point is not to do it again"
"Did you know there are 350 different theories of consciousness???"
More or less...no one has been able to count them all before losing...consciousness. Whatever it is.
; )
More or less...no one has been able to count them all before losing...consciousness. Whatever it is.
; )
Did you know there are 350 different theories of consciousness??? @keithfrankish.com and I discussed with Robert Lawrence Kuhn his paper and interactive website exploring them all. I fail to see how anybody could have something more important to do than watching this.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=2o7R...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=2o7R...
The Landscape of Consciousness at Christmas (landscape format)
YouTube video by Mind Chat
www.youtube.com
December 9, 2025 at 5:09 PM
"Did you know there are 350 different theories of consciousness???"
More or less...no one has been able to count them all before losing...consciousness. Whatever it is.
; )
More or less...no one has been able to count them all before losing...consciousness. Whatever it is.
; )
@matthewcobb.bsky.social's biography of Crick (I'm up to the late 1960s in it) does an excellent job of laying out the whole story and context (including the friendship built betw/her and Crick. Another fine part of a great (so far!) book.
Glad a lot of people are discovering the facts behind the legends.
For another year, it appears, this article I wrote with @nccomfort.bsky.social is the most read of @nature.com's News articles...
December 9, 2025 at 5:07 PM
@matthewcobb.bsky.social's biography of Crick (I'm up to the late 1960s in it) does an excellent job of laying out the whole story and context (including the friendship built betw/her and Crick. Another fine part of a great (so far!) book.