Kristian G. Andersen
@kgandersen.bsky.social
Infectious diseases & genomics. Immunologist in (voluntary) exile. Minimal sarcasm. Fierce HOA (Hater of Acronyms). Personal account - opinions expressed are my own and not those of my employer.
Had the authors pressure-tested their own "BDL" system they would realize:
1️⃣ All key pathogen data, including genomic, would fall under BDL-4
2️⃣ Hence, we should no longer share data on key pathogens
Good example of theoretical risks impeding research on real ones.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
1️⃣ All key pathogen data, including genomic, would fall under BDL-4
2️⃣ Hence, we should no longer share data on key pathogens
Good example of theoretical risks impeding research on real ones.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Biological data governance in an age of AI
Tailored access controls on new viral data would reduce misuse risks
www.science.org
February 6, 2026 at 10:26 PM
Had the authors pressure-tested their own "BDL" system they would realize:
1️⃣ All key pathogen data, including genomic, would fall under BDL-4
2️⃣ Hence, we should no longer share data on key pathogens
Good example of theoretical risks impeding research on real ones.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
1️⃣ All key pathogen data, including genomic, would fall under BDL-4
2️⃣ Hence, we should no longer share data on key pathogens
Good example of theoretical risks impeding research on real ones.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
"in July 2023, 80% of Danes said they saw the US as a friend or ally. Now, fewer than 26% do".
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f...
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f...
February 6, 2026 at 10:07 PM
"in July 2023, 80% of Danes said they saw the US as a friend or ally. Now, fewer than 26% do".
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f...
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f...
Reposted by Kristian G. Andersen
Science EIC Thorp would like to have it both ways:
1) Credited for being reasonable in acknowledging the importance of (i) quiet insiders & (ii) activists in confronting cuts to science.
2) Clear on who he thinks really deserves the credit for the wins: insiders.
🧵
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
1) Credited for being reasonable in acknowledging the importance of (i) quiet insiders & (ii) activists in confronting cuts to science.
2) Clear on who he thinks really deserves the credit for the wins: insiders.
🧵
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
A tale of many twos
For the American scientific enterprise, the past year has seemed awash in contradiction. On the one hand, it has produced great upheavals and losses for US science. Many universities experienced some ...
www.science.org
February 6, 2026 at 3:42 PM
Science EIC Thorp would like to have it both ways:
1) Credited for being reasonable in acknowledging the importance of (i) quiet insiders & (ii) activists in confronting cuts to science.
2) Clear on who he thinks really deserves the credit for the wins: insiders.
🧵
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
1) Credited for being reasonable in acknowledging the importance of (i) quiet insiders & (ii) activists in confronting cuts to science.
2) Clear on who he thinks really deserves the credit for the wins: insiders.
🧵
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Kristian G. Andersen
KFF: Poll: Trust and Confidence in the CDC Remain at Low Point After Changes to Recommended Childhood Vaccines
bit.ly/4qmcZLB @kff.org
bit.ly/4qmcZLB @kff.org
Poll: Trust and Confidence in the CDC Remain at Low Point After Changes to Recommended Childhood Vaccines; More Say the Changes Will Hurt than Help Children’s Health | KFF
In the weeks after the Trump administration reduced the number of recommended childhood vaccines for routine use, the public’s trust in the CDC remains at its lowest point. Among those who have heard ...
bit.ly
February 6, 2026 at 1:29 PM
KFF: Poll: Trust and Confidence in the CDC Remain at Low Point After Changes to Recommended Childhood Vaccines
bit.ly/4qmcZLB @kff.org
bit.ly/4qmcZLB @kff.org
Reposted by Kristian G. Andersen
Not really a surprise, but it's still surprising to me that some chose to believe his lie
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 6, 2026 at 1:53 PM
Not really a surprise, but it's still surprising to me that some chose to believe his lie
Very much agree with everything said here - LLMs are fantastic tools, but scaling isn't going to get us to AGI. Cut the hype.
"The best news here is that with LLM mania subsiding, there might actually be a chance for newcomers to try new things."
garymarcus.substack.com/p/sam-altman...
"The best news here is that with LLM mania subsiding, there might actually be a chance for newcomers to try new things."
garymarcus.substack.com/p/sam-altman...
Sam Altman and the day Nvidia’s meteoric rise came to an end
Happy half anniversary, GPT-5
garymarcus.substack.com
February 4, 2026 at 10:15 PM
Very much agree with everything said here - LLMs are fantastic tools, but scaling isn't going to get us to AGI. Cut the hype.
"The best news here is that with LLM mania subsiding, there might actually be a chance for newcomers to try new things."
garymarcus.substack.com/p/sam-altman...
"The best news here is that with LLM mania subsiding, there might actually be a chance for newcomers to try new things."
garymarcus.substack.com/p/sam-altman...
Reposted by Kristian G. Andersen
So the question here is mis-specified. There is no "alternative" research funding in any way that would make American biomedical research whole for researchers to seek out. 1/ www.statnews.com/2026/02/03/p... via @statnews.com
We asked whether principal investigators have plans in place for how research can continue without them
Researchers must be mindful of unexpected events that may leave them incapacitated or unable to lead their research projects or labs.
www.statnews.com
February 4, 2026 at 10:35 AM
So the question here is mis-specified. There is no "alternative" research funding in any way that would make American biomedical research whole for researchers to seek out. 1/ www.statnews.com/2026/02/03/p... via @statnews.com
There are only two correct answers in the universe: “42” and “animal style with peppers”.
🤖🍔
🤖🍔
February 3, 2026 at 2:07 AM
There are only two correct answers in the universe: “42” and “animal style with peppers”.
🤖🍔
🤖🍔
Reposted by Kristian G. Andersen
“Scientific integrity is essential to a functioning democracy.”
Our friends at @ucs.org explain how authoritarianism chips away at truth piece by piece—attacking science, silencing experts, and weaponizing propaganda—and lay out what scientists can do to defend democracy, starting now. ⬇️
Our friends at @ucs.org explain how authoritarianism chips away at truth piece by piece—attacking science, silencing experts, and weaponizing propaganda—and lay out what scientists can do to defend democracy, starting now. ⬇️
Scientists Must Act: Five Ways You Can Stand Up to Authoritarianism Today
History provides powerful lessons for the special role that scientists can and must play to defend democracy.
blog.ucs.org
February 2, 2026 at 7:08 PM
“Scientific integrity is essential to a functioning democracy.”
Our friends at @ucs.org explain how authoritarianism chips away at truth piece by piece—attacking science, silencing experts, and weaponizing propaganda—and lay out what scientists can do to defend democracy, starting now. ⬇️
Our friends at @ucs.org explain how authoritarianism chips away at truth piece by piece—attacking science, silencing experts, and weaponizing propaganda—and lay out what scientists can do to defend democracy, starting now. ⬇️
Reposted by Kristian G. Andersen
This is finally out.
Very short take home. All the variation in spike that produced the immune escape characteristics of Omicron can occur in one single persistently infected individual over the period of a year.
This is why persistent infections matter
www.cell.com/cell-reports...
Very short take home. All the variation in spike that produced the immune escape characteristics of Omicron can occur in one single persistently infected individual over the period of a year.
This is why persistent infections matter
www.cell.com/cell-reports...
Antibody escape drives emergence of diverse spike haplotypes resembling variants of concern in persistent SARS-CoV-2 infections
Snell et al. develop sequencing methodology to identify full-length spike haplotypes
and show that persistent SARS-CoV-2 infections drive divergent haplotype emergence,
accelerating viral evolution an...
www.cell.com
February 2, 2026 at 4:09 PM
This is finally out.
Very short take home. All the variation in spike that produced the immune escape characteristics of Omicron can occur in one single persistently infected individual over the period of a year.
This is why persistent infections matter
www.cell.com/cell-reports...
Very short take home. All the variation in spike that produced the immune escape characteristics of Omicron can occur in one single persistently infected individual over the period of a year.
This is why persistent infections matter
www.cell.com/cell-reports...
Reposted by Kristian G. Andersen
It's really quite ironic this administration is using lockdown and social isolation to control the spread of a dangerous virus.
It's almost like they're learning the real lessons of 2020.
It's almost like they're learning the real lessons of 2020.
BREAKING: ICE has halted "all movement" at a Texas detention facility due to measles infections, DHS confirms.
ICE halts "all movement" at Texas detention facility due to measles infections
The measles cases at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center were detected Friday, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to CBS News.
cbsn.ws
February 2, 2026 at 10:28 AM
It's really quite ironic this administration is using lockdown and social isolation to control the spread of a dangerous virus.
It's almost like they're learning the real lessons of 2020.
It's almost like they're learning the real lessons of 2020.
I totally forgot - it's Happy Feb 1 Secret Teleconference Day!!!
Luckily - and even now, six years later - the A Team over on The Other Site is already celebrating 🙇🙏🥳.
Luckily - and even now, six years later - the A Team over on The Other Site is already celebrating 🙇🙏🥳.
February 1, 2026 at 6:34 PM
I totally forgot - it's Happy Feb 1 Secret Teleconference Day!!!
Luckily - and even now, six years later - the A Team over on The Other Site is already celebrating 🙇🙏🥳.
Luckily - and even now, six years later - the A Team over on The Other Site is already celebrating 🙇🙏🥳.
Reposted by Kristian G. Andersen
In case you want to hear me rant about this to a different person!
Today on Volts: I'm joined by the great @michaelhobbes.bsky.social to discuss "reactionary centrism," an intellectual tendency that's come to dominate US public life. You know the type: would never view themselves as conservative, yet finds voluntary pronoun use vastly more aggravating than fascism.
All about "reactionary centrism"
Michael Hobbes joins me to diagnose the pundit class's obsession with scolding the left while the right burns down the house.
www.volts.wtf
January 30, 2026 at 9:51 PM
In case you want to hear me rant about this to a different person!
Reposted by Kristian G. Andersen
This is Nathan Wolfe. Nathan is a virus hunter. Nathan has a bit of a reputation. Through the years, I've told multiple journalists stories I've heard, like "Nathan thanks Jeffrey Epstein in his book." Somehow no one ever wrote anything up. Want to see what Nathan was up to in today's Epstein files?
January 31, 2026 at 12:03 AM
This is Nathan Wolfe. Nathan is a virus hunter. Nathan has a bit of a reputation. Through the years, I've told multiple journalists stories I've heard, like "Nathan thanks Jeffrey Epstein in his book." Somehow no one ever wrote anything up. Want to see what Nathan was up to in today's Epstein files?
New NIH funding strategy has been formalized.
I really do hope scientists understand what this means for the future of science (funding) - it's not subtle.
www.niaid.nih.gov/about/unifie...
I really do hope scientists understand what this means for the future of science (funding) - it's not subtle.
www.niaid.nih.gov/about/unifie...
NIH Unified Funding Strategy
Objective peer review, and HHS- and NIH- specific priorities, and a standardized, transparent process for incorporating NIAID-specific priorities will guide funding selections.
www.niaid.nih.gov
January 30, 2026 at 8:31 PM
New NIH funding strategy has been formalized.
I really do hope scientists understand what this means for the future of science (funding) - it's not subtle.
www.niaid.nih.gov/about/unifie...
I really do hope scientists understand what this means for the future of science (funding) - it's not subtle.
www.niaid.nih.gov/about/unifie...
The critical bit missing in this @nytimes.com article is the actual numbers - *last* year, only 6% (!!!) of Greenlanders chose the US over Denmark.
6%.
Now it's, what, 2%?
Can it be any clearer?
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/29/w...
6%.
Now it's, what, 2%?
Can it be any clearer?
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/29/w...
January 29, 2026 at 7:45 PM
The critical bit missing in this @nytimes.com article is the actual numbers - *last* year, only 6% (!!!) of Greenlanders chose the US over Denmark.
6%.
Now it's, what, 2%?
Can it be any clearer?
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/29/w...
6%.
Now it's, what, 2%?
Can it be any clearer?
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/29/w...
Reposted by Kristian G. Andersen
Today's @nytimes.com dialogue with Ross Douthat & Jay Bhattacharya is tough sledding. I wrote a book on how silent transmission made COVID harder to stop and drove misleading narratives. The interview continues to mislead as a means to seize more power.
a 🧵
www.amazon.com/Asymptomatic...
a 🧵
www.amazon.com/Asymptomatic...
Asymptomatic: The Silent Spread of COVID-19 and the Future of Pandemics
Asymptomatic: The Silent Spread of COVID-19 and the Future of Pandemics
www.amazon.com
January 29, 2026 at 2:19 PM
Today's @nytimes.com dialogue with Ross Douthat & Jay Bhattacharya is tough sledding. I wrote a book on how silent transmission made COVID harder to stop and drove misleading narratives. The interview continues to mislead as a means to seize more power.
a 🧵
www.amazon.com/Asymptomatic...
a 🧵
www.amazon.com/Asymptomatic...
This is simply insane - demanding the removal of a perfectly safe preservative will require changing the entire production and distribution pipeline. For no reason whatsoever.
While the money is held up, tens of thousands of children are at risk of dying from preventable diseases.
While the money is held up, tens of thousands of children are at risk of dying from preventable diseases.
Reuters reports the Trump adminstration wants to condition any future funding to @gavi.org on the organization agreeing to phase out use of vaccines containing the preservative thimerosal. I wrote late last year about how unnecessary & impractical that would be. www.statnews.com/2025/11/19/r...
January 28, 2026 at 3:17 PM
This is simply insane - demanding the removal of a perfectly safe preservative will require changing the entire production and distribution pipeline. For no reason whatsoever.
While the money is held up, tens of thousands of children are at risk of dying from preventable diseases.
While the money is held up, tens of thousands of children are at risk of dying from preventable diseases.
Reposted by Kristian G. Andersen
This is really quite the thread.
I'm trying a new "see how well AI image gen is" test. This time I'm going to ask it to draw a map of the world, and then zoom in to Europe, the UK, Yorkshire and York to see when things start to get hazy.
All of these are with the free models using the smart/thinking variants. 1/n
All of these are with the free models using the smart/thinking variants. 1/n
January 27, 2026 at 10:29 PM
This is really quite the thread.
Reposted by Kristian G. Andersen
Science: U.S. government has lost more than 10,000 STEM Ph.D.s since Trump took office
By Jeffrey Mervis, Monica Hersher @science.org @policyhound.bsky.social @mghersher.bsky.social
bit.ly/3M8yf9B
By Jeffrey Mervis, Monica Hersher @science.org @policyhound.bsky.social @mghersher.bsky.social
bit.ly/3M8yf9B
U.S. government has lost more than 10,000 STEM Ph.D.s since Trump took office
A Science analysis reveals how many were fired, retired, or quit across 14 agencies
bit.ly
January 26, 2026 at 11:03 PM
Science: U.S. government has lost more than 10,000 STEM Ph.D.s since Trump took office
By Jeffrey Mervis, Monica Hersher @science.org @policyhound.bsky.social @mghersher.bsky.social
bit.ly/3M8yf9B
By Jeffrey Mervis, Monica Hersher @science.org @policyhound.bsky.social @mghersher.bsky.social
bit.ly/3M8yf9B
Reposted by Kristian G. Andersen
“We are witnessing the total breakdown of any meaningful system of accountability for federal officials. …The national government is becoming functionally lawless, and the legal system is struggling to contain his corruption.”
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/26/o...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/26/o...
Opinion | ‘Kristi Noem Needs to Go.’ Three Columnists on ICE in Minneapolis.
www.nytimes.com
January 26, 2026 at 11:09 PM
“We are witnessing the total breakdown of any meaningful system of accountability for federal officials. …The national government is becoming functionally lawless, and the legal system is struggling to contain his corruption.”
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/26/o...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/26/o...
Reposted by Kristian G. Andersen
You want to read this: www.thebulwark.com/p/this-is-th...
This Is the Vaccine Story RFK Jr. Doesn’t Want You to Hear
The Trump administration says we should learn from other countries. Maybe they should have looked someplace besides Denmark.
www.thebulwark.com
January 26, 2026 at 3:30 PM
You want to read this: www.thebulwark.com/p/this-is-th...
Given recent events, here are seven essential reads, all 🎁 linked.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/25/o...
1/7
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/25/o...
1/7
Opinion | The Trump Administration Is Lying to Our Faces. Congress Must Act.
www.nytimes.com
January 26, 2026 at 1:05 AM
Given recent events, here are seven essential reads, all 🎁 linked.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/25/o...
1/7
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/25/o...
1/7
Reposted by Kristian G. Andersen
A reminder to the news media: “conflicting accounts” is what you say BEFORE the incontrovertible video evidence appears. After that, your job is to ask why one side is lying, not to repeat the lie and pretend no one knows the truth.
January 25, 2026 at 12:28 PM
A reminder to the news media: “conflicting accounts” is what you say BEFORE the incontrovertible video evidence appears. After that, your job is to ask why one side is lying, not to repeat the lie and pretend no one knows the truth.
Reposted by Kristian G. Andersen
I had the opportunity to interview with @theworld.org and answer questions regarding the ethical issues with the now paused trial in Guinea Bissau. You can listen at the ink below.
theworld.org/segments/202...
theworld.org/segments/202...
Guinea-Bissau pauses Danish-led vaccine study over ethical concerns - The World from PRX
Guinea-Bissau’s minister of health announced Thursday that the country was halting a controversial Danish-led, US-funded trial of a hepatitis B vaccine. The West African country says there are ethical...
theworld.org
January 24, 2026 at 10:34 AM
I had the opportunity to interview with @theworld.org and answer questions regarding the ethical issues with the now paused trial in Guinea Bissau. You can listen at the ink below.
theworld.org/segments/202...
theworld.org/segments/202...