Jonathan Dushoff
@jdushoff.bsky.social
Theoretical biologist, recreational mathematician, anti-fascist*.
* I had planned not to be political here, but when circumstances change, decisions sometimes have to change.
* I had planned not to be political here, but when circumstances change, decisions sometimes have to change.
Reposted by Jonathan Dushoff
In a long-form piece, I address recent claims by the Editor-in-Chief of @science.org that "quiet" insiders rather than "heated" activists should be credited for passage of top-line budget numbers for science and medical research.
joshuasweitz.substack.com/p/science-ad...
joshuasweitz.substack.com/p/science-ad...
Science Advocacy: The Risks of Playing the Long Game vs. Playing the Game For Too Long
Reflecting on the establishment view of recent ‘wins’ for research and what real winning looks like when public-facing advocacy is credited and included in broader coalitions.
joshuasweitz.substack.com
February 8, 2026 at 4:46 PM
In a long-form piece, I address recent claims by the Editor-in-Chief of @science.org that "quiet" insiders rather than "heated" activists should be credited for passage of top-line budget numbers for science and medical research.
joshuasweitz.substack.com/p/science-ad...
joshuasweitz.substack.com/p/science-ad...
Accounting for heterogeneity among hosts, even if done very simply, can have dramatic effects on models' ability to parse out patterns.
Updating conventional epidemic models to account for assortativity aligns realized and predicted breakthrough infections.
January 27, 2026 at 7:15 PM
Accounting for heterogeneity among hosts, even if done very simply, can have dramatic effects on models' ability to parse out patterns.
Why indeed? Because it's exactly what you would expect. The shots are excellent -- and led to "measles-elimination status". But they're not perfect.
The MMR vaccine provides durable protection against measles for most people. Most infections in the US are in unvaccinated people. But rare instances of breakthrough infections are amplified by anti-vaccine influencers to suggest vaccines are ineffective.
January 27, 2026 at 7:13 PM
Why indeed? Because it's exactly what you would expect. The shots are excellent -- and led to "measles-elimination status". But they're not perfect.
Measles is spreading. The number of cases in vaccinated people will continue to go up (although not as fast as the number in unvaccinated people). These "breakthrough" cases will be used for #antivax propaganda. Public health needs to be ready.
In a new preprint, we combine modeling with school-level vaccine data to contextualize the risk of 'breakthrough infections' and impacts on the ongoing US measles outbreak. #idsky #episky
www.medrxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.medrxiv.org/content/10.6...
Interpreting Breakthrough Infections Given Assortative Mixing of Partially Vaccinated Populations
Declining vaccine coverage across the United States has increased the risk of outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases. Even when vaccines have low primary failure rates, conventional epidemic theory...
www.medrxiv.org
January 27, 2026 at 7:11 PM
Measles is spreading. The number of cases in vaccinated people will continue to go up (although not as fast as the number in unvaccinated people). These "breakthrough" cases will be used for #antivax propaganda. Public health needs to be ready.
I need somehow to recast how I think about the US Executive branch: I have to stop being horrified that they cross this line or that line and just accept that they are the enemy, and that nothing is holding them back except public opinion -- no law, no morality www.stevevladeck.com/p/205-chief-...
205. Chief Judge Schiltz and the Department of Justice
Every federal judge (and justice) should read the two letters from Chief Judge Patrick Schiltz in the church protest case—and what they tell us about the Department of Justice's litigation behavior.
www.stevevladeck.com
January 25, 2026 at 4:48 PM
I need somehow to recast how I think about the US Executive branch: I have to stop being horrified that they cross this line or that line and just accept that they are the enemy, and that nothing is holding them back except public opinion -- no law, no morality www.stevevladeck.com/p/205-chief-...
This post about violence and norms www.popehat.com/p/we-should-... from @kenwhite.bsky.social is both perceptive and bold.
We Should Talk About The Morality of Political Violence
What Are The Best Moral Arguments Against It?
www.popehat.com
January 25, 2026 at 4:27 PM
This post about violence and norms www.popehat.com/p/we-should-... from @kenwhite.bsky.social is both perceptive and bold.
Any continuous function that is both non-increasing and non-decreasing attains its global maximum at exp(τ), and its global minimum at -exp(-τ)!, where τ≈6.283 is the circle constant.
You can read actually interesting perspectives on τ at www.tauday.com/tau-manifesto.
You can read actually interesting perspectives on τ at www.tauday.com/tau-manifesto.
No, really, pi is wrong: The Tau Manifesto
For millennia, the circle has been considered the most perfect of shapes, and the circle constant π captured the geometry of the circle in a single number. But π is wrong, and it’s time to set things ...
www.tauday.com
January 20, 2026 at 11:12 PM
Any continuous function that is both non-increasing and non-decreasing attains its global maximum at exp(τ), and its global minimum at -exp(-τ)!, where τ≈6.283 is the circle constant.
You can read actually interesting perspectives on τ at www.tauday.com/tau-manifesto.
You can read actually interesting perspectives on τ at www.tauday.com/tau-manifesto.
I know it's everything all the time these days, but this feels like a big deal:
Until now, [the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press] said, the Justice Department had “never executed a search warrant at the home of a reporter in a national security leak case.”
www.cnn.com/2026/01/15/m...
Until now, [the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press] said, the Justice Department had “never executed a search warrant at the home of a reporter in a national security leak case.”
www.cnn.com/2026/01/15/m...
‘Tip of the iceberg’: The FBI search of a reporter’s home has newsrooms bracing for more | CNN Business
Inside The Washington Post, the impact was immediate. Reporters called the search “incredibly disturbing.” Hannah Natanson, whose home was raided, urged her Post colleagues to keep reporting.
www.cnn.com
January 17, 2026 at 6:34 PM
I know it's everything all the time these days, but this feels like a big deal:
Until now, [the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press] said, the Justice Department had “never executed a search warrant at the home of a reporter in a national security leak case.”
www.cnn.com/2026/01/15/m...
Until now, [the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press] said, the Justice Department had “never executed a search warrant at the home of a reporter in a national security leak case.”
www.cnn.com/2026/01/15/m...
Reposted by Jonathan Dushoff
New preprint! We had a look at the codon and dinucleotide usage of rabies clades that circulate in specific host species, and found some interesting differences, particularly between carnivore- and bat-associated clades 👀
Coauthors on bluesky: @jdushoff.bsky.social @matt-arnold-bio.bsky.social
Coauthors on bluesky: @jdushoff.bsky.social @matt-arnold-bio.bsky.social
Differences in codon usage between host-species-specific rabies virus clades are driven by UpA and purine content
Viral genes sometimes use certain codons more than others due to their nucleotide content, translational efficiency, and selection pressure from the host immune system. The rabies virus (RABV) is a ne...
www.biorxiv.org
January 13, 2026 at 2:48 PM
New preprint! We had a look at the codon and dinucleotide usage of rabies clades that circulate in specific host species, and found some interesting differences, particularly between carnivore- and bat-associated clades 👀
Coauthors on bluesky: @jdushoff.bsky.social @matt-arnold-bio.bsky.social
Coauthors on bluesky: @jdushoff.bsky.social @matt-arnold-bio.bsky.social
Can interactive web apps help biology students become better modellers?
Stephan Peischl's group is running an ethics-approved study. Learn more at: peischllab.github.io/MEEW.html
Contact [email protected] to receive the survey link. @spei.bsky.social
Stephan Peischl's group is running an ethics-approved study. Learn more at: peischllab.github.io/MEEW.html
Contact [email protected] to receive the survey link. @spei.bsky.social
MEEW
peischllab.github.io
January 12, 2026 at 2:46 AM
Can interactive web apps help biology students become better modellers?
Stephan Peischl's group is running an ethics-approved study. Learn more at: peischllab.github.io/MEEW.html
Contact [email protected] to receive the survey link. @spei.bsky.social
Stephan Peischl's group is running an ethics-approved study. Learn more at: peischllab.github.io/MEEW.html
Contact [email protected] to receive the survey link. @spei.bsky.social
Reposted by Jonathan Dushoff
Video message from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KckG...
www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/s...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KckG...
www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/s...
Statement by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell
YouTube video by Federal Reserve
www.youtube.com
January 12, 2026 at 12:35 AM
Video message from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KckG...
www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/s...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KckG...
www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/s...
Some nice press coverage from our #DavidEarn-led article on CANDID (Canadian Notifiable Disease Incidence Dataset) archive.ph/jRBfz
See also journals.plos.org/globalpublic... bsky.app/profile/jdus...
@davidearn.bsky.social @cfts.bsky.social
See also journals.plos.org/globalpublic... bsky.app/profile/jdus...
@davidearn.bsky.social @cfts.bsky.social
January 3, 2026 at 4:54 PM
Some nice press coverage from our #DavidEarn-led article on CANDID (Canadian Notifiable Disease Incidence Dataset) archive.ph/jRBfz
See also journals.plos.org/globalpublic... bsky.app/profile/jdus...
@davidearn.bsky.social @cfts.bsky.social
See also journals.plos.org/globalpublic... bsky.app/profile/jdus...
@davidearn.bsky.social @cfts.bsky.social
Reposted by Jonathan Dushoff
Just wow. @pluralistic.net.web.brid.gy came out swinging in this article. He's right though and that's the coolest part.
December 26, 2025 at 12:47 PM
Just wow. @pluralistic.net.web.brid.gy came out swinging in this article. He's right though and that's the coolest part.
Reposted by Jonathan Dushoff
Many thanks to cofounder @asinclair.bsky.social & the entire SCIMaP team (scienceimpacts.org) for collaborative work to confront federal cuts to science and medical research; together, our effort was recognized as a 2025 Public Health Hero in @thenation.com.
a 🧵
www.thenation.com/article/soci...
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www.thenation.com/article/soci...
The Public Health Heroes of 2025
The Trump administration wants to destroy our health infrastructure. These warriors aren't letting that happen without a fight.
www.thenation.com
December 22, 2025 at 2:50 AM
Many thanks to cofounder @asinclair.bsky.social & the entire SCIMaP team (scienceimpacts.org) for collaborative work to confront federal cuts to science and medical research; together, our effort was recognized as a 2025 Public Health Hero in @thenation.com.
a 🧵
www.thenation.com/article/soci...
a 🧵
www.thenation.com/article/soci...
This is a really cool project, I was lucky to have the opportunity to participate.
news.mcmaster.ca/mcmaster-res...
news.mcmaster.ca/mcmaster-res...
McMaster research team digitizes more than 100 years of Canadian infectious disease data
The new, publicly accessible database contains more than a million infectious disease incidence counts dating back to 1903.
news.mcmaster.ca
December 18, 2025 at 5:41 PM
This is a really cool project, I was lucky to have the opportunity to participate.
news.mcmaster.ca/mcmaster-res...
news.mcmaster.ca/mcmaster-res...
Is this a typo? I think they meant to say "settles" instead of "raises".
December 6, 2025 at 4:36 PM
Is this a typo? I think they meant to say "settles" instead of "raises".
Shouldn't the US Secretary of Defense have _some_ idea what "fog of war" means?
theintercept.com/2025/12/02/c...
theintercept.com/2025/12/02/c...
December 5, 2025 at 2:32 AM
Shouldn't the US Secretary of Defense have _some_ idea what "fog of war" means?
theintercept.com/2025/12/02/c...
theintercept.com/2025/12/02/c...
Shouldn't the Attorney General of a US state have _some_ idea what "fundamental right" means?
December 5, 2025 at 2:08 AM
Shouldn't the Attorney General of a US state have _some_ idea what "fundamental right" means?
When people say that firing on the shipwrecked is “clearly illegal” according to the Pentagon's own War Manual, they don't _just_ mean that it is explicitly mentioned as illegal. ...
ogc.osd.mil/Portals/99/d...
ogc.osd.mil/Portals/99/d...
ogc.osd.mil
December 4, 2025 at 10:43 PM
When people say that firing on the shipwrecked is “clearly illegal” according to the Pentagon's own War Manual, they don't _just_ mean that it is explicitly mentioned as illegal. ...
ogc.osd.mil/Portals/99/d...
ogc.osd.mil/Portals/99/d...
I found these notes from #BenBolker about file formats for plots and diagrams to be pretty useful. Your mileage may vary.
bbolker.github.io/bbmisc/graph...
bbolker.github.io/bbmisc/graph...
some stuff about graphics formats
bbolker.github.io
December 3, 2025 at 10:25 PM
I found these notes from #BenBolker about file formats for plots and diagrams to be pretty useful. Your mileage may vary.
bbolker.github.io/bbmisc/graph...
bbolker.github.io/bbmisc/graph...
"I'm going to the US to see the Chaos" can be interpreted in two very different ways.
November 24, 2025 at 3:42 PM
"I'm going to the US to see the Chaos" can be interpreted in two very different ways.
Nobody in the press corps should call POTUS anything but "Piggy" (or "Mr Piggy" out of respect for the office) until he apologizes. Like everyone waving their hands for his attention should be like, "Piggy, Piggy! What do you think about murdering journalists?" www.msn.com/en-us/video/...
MSN
www.msn.com
November 19, 2025 at 3:41 AM
Nobody in the press corps should call POTUS anything but "Piggy" (or "Mr Piggy" out of respect for the office) until he apologizes. Like everyone waving their hands for his attention should be like, "Piggy, Piggy! What do you think about murdering journalists?" www.msn.com/en-us/video/...
Reposted by Jonathan Dushoff
Amidst a government shutdown in which the White House has proposed slashing federal support of science by billions of dollars, our #SCIMaP team continues to assess the impact of research cuts on communities nationwide.
Learn more about our efforts: scienceimpacts.org
With more to come...
a 🧵
Learn more about our efforts: scienceimpacts.org
With more to come...
a 🧵
October 24, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Amidst a government shutdown in which the White House has proposed slashing federal support of science by billions of dollars, our #SCIMaP team continues to assess the impact of research cuts on communities nationwide.
Learn more about our efforts: scienceimpacts.org
With more to come...
a 🧵
Learn more about our efforts: scienceimpacts.org
With more to come...
a 🧵
Reposted by Jonathan Dushoff
Launched in March 2025 as a joint project between the University of Maryland & the University of Pennsylvania and now supported by a grant from Open Philanthropy, #SCIMaP focuses on assessing the impacts of federal cuts to science on communities nationwide:
cmns.umd.edu/news-events/...
cmns.umd.edu/news-events/...
Open Philanthropy Awards $336K to Map the Impact of Scientific Funding Cuts | College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences | University of Maryland
Researchers at the University of Maryland and the University of Pennsylvania are jointly leading efforts to comm
cmns.umd.edu
October 24, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Launched in March 2025 as a joint project between the University of Maryland & the University of Pennsylvania and now supported by a grant from Open Philanthropy, #SCIMaP focuses on assessing the impacts of federal cuts to science on communities nationwide:
cmns.umd.edu/news-events/...
cmns.umd.edu/news-events/...
Reposted by Jonathan Dushoff
Don’t let the frogwater that’s boiling us alive let you skip over this: we murdered another country’s citizens in cold blood, and when their leader objected, we called him a drug dealer and cut off aid to his country. That’s freakish.
Petro objected to the US bombing a Columbian fishing vessel that had the emergency beacon on because they were broken down, that we subsequently bombed. One Columbian fisherman survived the attack.
This is the official US response to Petro's comments.
This is the official US response to Petro's comments.
October 19, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Don’t let the frogwater that’s boiling us alive let you skip over this: we murdered another country’s citizens in cold blood, and when their leader objected, we called him a drug dealer and cut off aid to his country. That’s freakish.