Johan Van Weyenbergh
@johanvawe.bsky.social
Immunologist curious about viruses, cancer, evolution and all things human
Likes all #systems thinking and still working out all the #omics 🤓
#immunosky #medsky #idsky
Likes all #systems thinking and still working out all the #omics 🤓
#immunosky #medsky #idsky
Reposted by Johan Van Weyenbergh
In the US, research into solar energy was cut by 31%, wind power by 27% and bioenergy by 11%. Funding for nuclear energy, received a 6% boost. At the same time, investment in coal research (and not just to reduce emissions) swelled by 260%
www.economist.com/science-and-...
From The Economist
www.economist.com/science-and-...
From The Economist
In America science-sceptics are now in charge
The Trump administration seems to want less clean energy and more preventable diseases
www.economist.com
February 8, 2026 at 11:02 AM
In the US, research into solar energy was cut by 31%, wind power by 27% and bioenergy by 11%. Funding for nuclear energy, received a 6% boost. At the same time, investment in coal research (and not just to reduce emissions) swelled by 260%
www.economist.com/science-and-...
From The Economist
www.economist.com/science-and-...
From The Economist
Reposted by Johan Van Weyenbergh
The Trump administration is eroding vital climate data - and it's not just reporting requirements on greenhouse gas emissions that are being suspended or worse. It also includes data that are vital for climate adaptation. /
www.economist.com/science-and-...
From The Economist
www.economist.com/science-and-...
From The Economist
The Trump administration is eroding vital climate data
American citizens are left vulnerable
www.economist.com
February 8, 2026 at 11:17 AM
The Trump administration is eroding vital climate data - and it's not just reporting requirements on greenhouse gas emissions that are being suspended or worse. It also includes data that are vital for climate adaptation. /
www.economist.com/science-and-...
From The Economist
www.economist.com/science-and-...
From The Economist
Reposted by Johan Van Weyenbergh
How Vaccines Work 🧬🧫🧪🔬💉🥽
February 5, 2026 at 5:00 PM
How Vaccines Work 🧬🧫🧪🔬💉🥽
Reposted by Johan Van Weyenbergh
The speed at which languages are spoken is wide, but at the end of the day, the rate at which they transfer information is surprisingly similar (although German does have a long tail towards the slow side). 🧪
Link: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Link: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
February 8, 2026 at 4:36 AM
The speed at which languages are spoken is wide, but at the end of the day, the rate at which they transfer information is surprisingly similar (although German does have a long tail towards the slow side). 🧪
Link: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Link: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Johan Van Weyenbergh
¿Y si la gravedad fuera opcional? Bastien Dausse no rompe la física, rompe la percepción. Sus escenarios antigravedad tensan el modelo mental del cerebro y revelan algo potente: la innovación surge cuando diseñamos para cómo sentimos el mundo, no solo para cómo creemos entenderlo.
February 8, 2026 at 9:51 AM
¿Y si la gravedad fuera opcional? Bastien Dausse no rompe la física, rompe la percepción. Sus escenarios antigravedad tensan el modelo mental del cerebro y revelan algo potente: la innovación surge cuando diseñamos para cómo sentimos el mundo, no solo para cómo creemos entenderlo.
Reposted by Johan Van Weyenbergh
'SNSF Starting Grants are open to all disciplines and topics. Applicants can request a budget of up to 1 million francs for project funding over a five-year period. In addition, applicants can apply for funds to cover their own salaries'
www.snf.ch/en/w728UqT1Y...
www.snf.ch/en/w728UqT1Y...
SNSF Starting Grants
Lead your own independent project and research team in Switzerland.
www.snf.ch
February 5, 2026 at 8:08 AM
'SNSF Starting Grants are open to all disciplines and topics. Applicants can request a budget of up to 1 million francs for project funding over a five-year period. In addition, applicants can apply for funds to cover their own salaries'
www.snf.ch/en/w728UqT1Y...
www.snf.ch/en/w728UqT1Y...
Reposted by Johan Van Weyenbergh
2026
UN warns 4.5 million girls could face female genital mutilation in 2026
And this is still happening 😪😭
UN warns 4.5 million girls could face female genital mutilation in 2026
And this is still happening 😪😭
UN warns 4.5 million girls could face female genital mutilation in 2026
Some 4.5 million girls worldwide — many under the age of five — risk undergoing female genital mutilation this year, United Nations leaders warned Friday, urging more action to halt the harmful practice.
medicalxpress.com
February 8, 2026 at 8:45 AM
2026
UN warns 4.5 million girls could face female genital mutilation in 2026
And this is still happening 😪😭
UN warns 4.5 million girls could face female genital mutilation in 2026
And this is still happening 😪😭
Reposted by Johan Van Weyenbergh
When you buy on amazon, you give money to a trillionaire who treats his staff like this (and kill your local bookstore, grocery store, etc)
"Former Washington Post reporters launch GoFundMe to help repatriate international staff who was fired and now facing logistical challenges getting out of their countries and back home."
Donate to Support for Washington Post international employees, organized by Michelle Lee
Among the hundreds of journalists laid off by The Washington Post on … Michelle Lee needs your support for Support for Washington Post international employees
www.gofundme.com
February 8, 2026 at 9:49 AM
When you buy on amazon, you give money to a trillionaire who treats his staff like this (and kill your local bookstore, grocery store, etc)
Reposted by Johan Van Weyenbergh
🫂 New online peer support group for healthcare workers with Long Covid
🗓 First meeting: Tues 10 Feb
⏰ 11am | 💻 Online (Teams)
📅 Meets every 2nd & 4th Tuesday
📧 Join or ask questions: [email protected]
#LongCovid #HealthcareWorkers #PeerSupport #SHHUK
🗓 First meeting: Tues 10 Feb
⏰ 11am | 💻 Online (Teams)
📅 Meets every 2nd & 4th Tuesday
📧 Join or ask questions: [email protected]
#LongCovid #HealthcareWorkers #PeerSupport #SHHUK
February 8, 2026 at 10:00 AM
🫂 New online peer support group for healthcare workers with Long Covid
🗓 First meeting: Tues 10 Feb
⏰ 11am | 💻 Online (Teams)
📅 Meets every 2nd & 4th Tuesday
📧 Join or ask questions: [email protected]
#LongCovid #HealthcareWorkers #PeerSupport #SHHUK
🗓 First meeting: Tues 10 Feb
⏰ 11am | 💻 Online (Teams)
📅 Meets every 2nd & 4th Tuesday
📧 Join or ask questions: [email protected]
#LongCovid #HealthcareWorkers #PeerSupport #SHHUK
Reposted by Johan Van Weyenbergh
'He warned that relying on markets to organise every area of human life would undermine the social practices that imbue our lives with meaning. And he questioned much-vaunted notions of meritocracy. Sandel has a lot to say, then, about our rageful era of political polarisation.'
The pessimist who became a prophet
Michael Sandel was ignored by a generation of political optimists. Now he is searching for a way out of the mess he saw coming
www.ft.com
February 8, 2026 at 10:06 AM
'He warned that relying on markets to organise every area of human life would undermine the social practices that imbue our lives with meaning. And he questioned much-vaunted notions of meritocracy. Sandel has a lot to say, then, about our rageful era of political polarisation.'
Reposted by Johan Van Weyenbergh
'The widespread prokaryotic immune systems, in particular restriction–modification, CRISPR–Cas and defensive toxin–antitoxin systems, are absent in eukaryotes, whereas relatively rare ones, such as Argonautes and antiviral STAND NTPases, became central to eukaryotic innate immunity'
The paradox of immune systems conservation between prokaryotes and eukaryotes - Nature Reviews Microbiology
The widespread prokaryotic immune systems, in particular restriction–modification, CRISPR–Cas and defensive toxin–antitoxin systems, are absent in eukaryotes, whereas relatively rare ones, such as Arg...
www.nature.com
February 8, 2026 at 10:22 AM
'The widespread prokaryotic immune systems, in particular restriction–modification, CRISPR–Cas and defensive toxin–antitoxin systems, are absent in eukaryotes, whereas relatively rare ones, such as Argonautes and antiviral STAND NTPases, became central to eukaryotic innate immunity'
Reposted by Johan Van Weyenbergh
Evidence has emerged that RFKJr lied about his infamous 2019 trip to Samoa after which measles vax uptake plummeted and measles cases spiralled resulting in 83 deaths and thousands of measles cases …🧵 #HealthPolicy
Newly revealed emails undermine RFK Jr testimony about 2019 Samoa trip ahead of measles outbreak
Kennedy later said the purpose of his trip had nothing to do with vaccines. US embassy and UN staff at the time said otherwise, emails show
www.theguardian.com
February 7, 2026 at 8:20 AM
Evidence has emerged that RFKJr lied about his infamous 2019 trip to Samoa after which measles vax uptake plummeted and measles cases spiralled resulting in 83 deaths and thousands of measles cases …🧵 #HealthPolicy
Reposted by Johan Van Weyenbergh
No Tenure for Oklahoma.
Instead, faculty will be on "renewable contracts “tied to teaching effectiveness, student completion, job placement, and economic alignment.”
#academicsky
Instead, faculty will be on "renewable contracts “tied to teaching effectiveness, student completion, job placement, and economic alignment.”
#academicsky
Tenure Will Be Eliminated at Most of Oklahoma’s Public Colleges, Governor Says
Gov. J. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, directed the state’s two-dozen regional universities and community colleges to phase out the practice. Existing faculty members will be grandfathered in.
www.chronicle.com
February 6, 2026 at 2:40 AM
No Tenure for Oklahoma.
Instead, faculty will be on "renewable contracts “tied to teaching effectiveness, student completion, job placement, and economic alignment.”
#academicsky
Instead, faculty will be on "renewable contracts “tied to teaching effectiveness, student completion, job placement, and economic alignment.”
#academicsky
🧪Increasing applied #pesticide toxicity trends counteract the global reduction target to safeguard #biodiversity | #Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Increasing applied pesticide toxicity trends counteract the global reduction target to safeguard biodiversity
The 15th United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP15) obligates all countries to reduce pesticide risks by 50% by 2030. In this study, we derived the trends of total applied toxicity (TAT) globally ...
www.science.org
February 6, 2026 at 1:51 PM
🧪Increasing applied #pesticide toxicity trends counteract the global reduction target to safeguard #biodiversity | #Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Johan Van Weyenbergh
"the attention-span crisis is not limited to the written word. Professors are now finding that they can’t even get film students—film students—to sit through movies."
The Film Students Who Can No Longer Sit Through Films
The attention-span crisis goes to the movies.
www.theatlantic.com
February 5, 2026 at 11:12 AM
"the attention-span crisis is not limited to the written word. Professors are now finding that they can’t even get film students—film students—to sit through movies."
Reposted by Johan Van Weyenbergh
'Empirical data and the theories that make sense of them are the twin pillars of scientific progress. When one pillar is raised much higher than the other, they cease to be good pillars.'
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
On the balance of knowledge - Nature Reviews Immunology
Ruslan Medzhitov shares his thoughts on the balance between generating data and developing theories in immunology, with a focus on exploring the rules that govern complex systems.
www.nature.com
February 6, 2026 at 7:39 AM
'Empirical data and the theories that make sense of them are the twin pillars of scientific progress. When one pillar is raised much higher than the other, they cease to be good pillars.'
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Johan Van Weyenbergh
Long Covid friends—
A bill in the Maryland legislature would create an R&D fund for LC—a big deal when new federal funding is stalled.
The advocate behind the bill is asking for people anywhere to submit written testimony on Fri 2/6 on your experience w/LC, to say why this is needed!
More info:
A bill in the Maryland legislature would create an R&D fund for LC—a big deal when new federal funding is stalled.
The advocate behind the bill is asking for people anywhere to submit written testimony on Fri 2/6 on your experience w/LC, to say why this is needed!
More info:
Sign the Petition
Advocate for Maryland HB 0027 for Long COVID R&D
www.change.org
January 30, 2026 at 8:21 PM
Long Covid friends—
A bill in the Maryland legislature would create an R&D fund for LC—a big deal when new federal funding is stalled.
The advocate behind the bill is asking for people anywhere to submit written testimony on Fri 2/6 on your experience w/LC, to say why this is needed!
More info:
A bill in the Maryland legislature would create an R&D fund for LC—a big deal when new federal funding is stalled.
The advocate behind the bill is asking for people anywhere to submit written testimony on Fri 2/6 on your experience w/LC, to say why this is needed!
More info:
Reposted by Johan Van Weyenbergh
Trump reportedly told Schumer that he will unfreeze infrastructure funds for New York in exchange for support for renaming Penn Station and Dulles International Airport after himself.
Democrats Pushback Against Trump’s Reported Bid To Rename Penn Station And Dulles Airport After Himself
Trump reportedly told Schumer that he will unfreeze infrastructure funds for New York in exchange for support for renaming Penn Station and Dulles International Airport after himself.
www.forbes.com
February 6, 2026 at 8:10 AM
Trump reportedly told Schumer that he will unfreeze infrastructure funds for New York in exchange for support for renaming Penn Station and Dulles International Airport after himself.
Reposted by Johan Van Weyenbergh
Lung cancer.
Stomach cancer.
Cervical cancer.
Together, these three make up nearly half of all cancers caused by preventable risks.
The power to prevent them is already in our hands.
💪 Watch the Daily Dose.
Stomach cancer.
Cervical cancer.
Together, these three make up nearly half of all cancers caused by preventable risks.
The power to prevent them is already in our hands.
💪 Watch the Daily Dose.
February 6, 2026 at 8:39 AM
Lung cancer.
Stomach cancer.
Cervical cancer.
Together, these three make up nearly half of all cancers caused by preventable risks.
The power to prevent them is already in our hands.
💪 Watch the Daily Dose.
Stomach cancer.
Cervical cancer.
Together, these three make up nearly half of all cancers caused by preventable risks.
The power to prevent them is already in our hands.
💪 Watch the Daily Dose.
Reposted by Johan Van Weyenbergh
Cellular quiescence uncouples the proteome from the transcriptome in neural stem cells
Rita Sousa-Nunes and colleagues
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Rita Sousa-Nunes and colleagues
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Cellular quiescence uncouples the proteome from the transcriptome in neural stem cells - The EMBO Journal
Quiescence is a cellular state defined by reversible cell-cycle arrest and diminished biosynthesis, particularly of nucleic acids and proteins. These features protect stem cells from proliferation-ind...
link.springer.com
February 6, 2026 at 8:48 AM
Cellular quiescence uncouples the proteome from the transcriptome in neural stem cells
Rita Sousa-Nunes and colleagues
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Rita Sousa-Nunes and colleagues
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Reposted by Johan Van Weyenbergh
Russia and the United States are no longer bound by any limits on the size of their strategic nuclear arsenals after their last arms control treaty expired on February 5 with no agreement between them on what should come next reut.rs/4aekQVk
February 5, 2026 at 11:02 AM
Russia and the United States are no longer bound by any limits on the size of their strategic nuclear arsenals after their last arms control treaty expired on February 5 with no agreement between them on what should come next reut.rs/4aekQVk
🧪#NIH rolls back red tape on some experiments — spurring excitement and concern www.nature.com/articles/d41...
NIH rolls back red tape on some experiments — spurring excitement and concern
Some human research will no longer be classified as a clinical trial, easing the paperwork burden, but not everyone agrees with the approach.
www.nature.com
February 5, 2026 at 2:44 PM
🧪#NIH rolls back red tape on some experiments — spurring excitement and concern www.nature.com/articles/d41...
#Brain cells birth zombielike transport vesicles | 🧪 #Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
Brain cells birth zombielike transport vesicles
Shed from the surfaces of astrocytes, “zombosomes” flit between cells, carrying proteins linked to disease
www.science.org
February 4, 2026 at 11:32 AM
#Brain cells birth zombielike transport vesicles | 🧪 #Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Johan Van Weyenbergh
'to treat peer review as a throughput problem is to misunderstand what is at stake. Review is not simply a production stage in the research pipeline; it is one of the few remaining spaces where the scientific community talks to itself.' 1/3
AI is not a peer, so it can’t do peer review
If we still believe that science is a vocation grounded in argument, curiosity and care, we can’t delegate judgement to machines, says Akhil Bhardwaj
www.timeshighereducation.com
February 3, 2026 at 8:17 AM
'to treat peer review as a throughput problem is to misunderstand what is at stake. Review is not simply a production stage in the research pipeline; it is one of the few remaining spaces where the scientific community talks to itself.' 1/3
Reposted by Johan Van Weyenbergh
Every year, millions of people hear the words 'you have cancer.' Yet 4 in 10 cases can be avoided by saying no to tobacco, limiting alcohol, and getting vaccinated.
Watch the daily dose.
Watch the daily dose.
February 4, 2026 at 9:02 AM
Every year, millions of people hear the words 'you have cancer.' Yet 4 in 10 cases can be avoided by saying no to tobacco, limiting alcohol, and getting vaccinated.
Watch the daily dose.
Watch the daily dose.