Mark Histed
@markhisted.org
How brain neural nets do computations; we aim to understand differences in brain wiring, using lasers and neuro-AI.
Lab head, NIH. Prev: media policy for democracypolicy.network.
linktr.ee/markhisted; Pers. views; neuro posts: 🧠 /🧪
Lab head, NIH. Prev: media policy for democracypolicy.network.
linktr.ee/markhisted; Pers. views; neuro posts: 🧠 /🧪
Pinned
This week the Trump CDC attacked science — and our health, and our kids’ health — by twisting the truth on the CDC website.
There’s things to say about the playbook they used, and that’s helped by a little explanation about scientific truth in practice.
New vid explainer from me:
🧪 part 1/
There’s things to say about the playbook they used, and that’s helped by a little explanation about scientific truth in practice.
New vid explainer from me:
🧪 part 1/
So far this year at #NIH, I had to
- cancel a visiting speaker I was hosting
- cancel a distinguished lecture I was giving at a midwest university
- cancel another seminar visit to talk about our work
- cancel my trip to the Society for Neuroscience meeting
- now cancel my trip to NeurIPS
1/
- cancel a visiting speaker I was hosting
- cancel a distinguished lecture I was giving at a midwest university
- cancel another seminar visit to talk about our work
- cancel my trip to the Society for Neuroscience meeting
- now cancel my trip to NeurIPS
1/
November 25, 2025 at 3:43 AM
So far this year at #NIH, I had to
- cancel a visiting speaker I was hosting
- cancel a distinguished lecture I was giving at a midwest university
- cancel another seminar visit to talk about our work
- cancel my trip to the Society for Neuroscience meeting
- now cancel my trip to NeurIPS
1/
- cancel a visiting speaker I was hosting
- cancel a distinguished lecture I was giving at a midwest university
- cancel another seminar visit to talk about our work
- cancel my trip to the Society for Neuroscience meeting
- now cancel my trip to NeurIPS
1/
This is very much the best of #NIH.
Not everything NIH has done in the past has been perfect, but it's been a lot of serious and thoughtful people dedicated to the mission of improving public health. ❤️
Not everything NIH has done in the past has been perfect, but it's been a lot of serious and thoughtful people dedicated to the mission of improving public health. ❤️
Carl created a seat for this loudmouth HIV activist at Strategic Working Group of the Division of AIDS when it didn’t have community rep focused on prevention. Meant groups I repped helped set policies & funding for 5 global research networks. A true mensch. Huge loss, along with Jeanne Marrazzo.
Hearing news that Carl Dieffenbach, the Director of the Division of AIDS at #NIH (NIAID), has been removed from his position because he was "not aligned with HHS/OMB."
Russell Vought continues to remove great scientists as part of the Project 2025 mission to politicize and destroy NIH.
🧪 1/
Russell Vought continues to remove great scientists as part of the Project 2025 mission to politicize and destroy NIH.
🧪 1/
November 25, 2025 at 1:22 AM
This is very much the best of #NIH.
Not everything NIH has done in the past has been perfect, but it's been a lot of serious and thoughtful people dedicated to the mission of improving public health. ❤️
Not everything NIH has done in the past has been perfect, but it's been a lot of serious and thoughtful people dedicated to the mission of improving public health. ❤️
2024 “The end of free speech is the end of science”
Last week: @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social violated policy by using her free speech rights
Last week: @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social violated policy by using her free speech rights
November 24, 2025 at 1:17 PM
2024 “The end of free speech is the end of science”
Last week: @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social violated policy by using her free speech rights
Last week: @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social violated policy by using her free speech rights
Reposted by Mark Histed
This policy comes as they 1) install cronies as Institute Directors - eg, JD Vance's old roommate is NIEHS Director 2) reject Council slates & 3) ignore scientific program staff.
In sun, politicos (rather than scientists trained in the appropriate field) can skip applications with no justification
In sun, politicos (rather than scientists trained in the appropriate field) can skip applications with no justification
This is concerning.
NIH is changing their policy so that staff have to prepare justification for every application that is funded BUT NO DOCUMENTATION FOR APPLICATIONS THAT ARE SKIPPED (BASED ON PERCENTILES).
1/2
NIH is changing their policy so that staff have to prepare justification for every application that is funded BUT NO DOCUMENTATION FOR APPLICATIONS THAT ARE SKIPPED (BASED ON PERCENTILES).
1/2
November 24, 2025 at 3:40 AM
This policy comes as they 1) install cronies as Institute Directors - eg, JD Vance's old roommate is NIEHS Director 2) reject Council slates & 3) ignore scientific program staff.
In sun, politicos (rather than scientists trained in the appropriate field) can skip applications with no justification
In sun, politicos (rather than scientists trained in the appropriate field) can skip applications with no justification
This new policy from NIH is concerning.
It looks like a way to weaponize administrative burden, one of Russell Vought's favorite moves to break gov't.
Background: Program staff / NIH institute directors can move grants around outside peer review order. 1/
It looks like a way to weaponize administrative burden, one of Russell Vought's favorite moves to break gov't.
Background: Program staff / NIH institute directors can move grants around outside peer review order. 1/
This is concerning.
NIH is changing their policy so that staff have to prepare justification for every application that is funded BUT NO DOCUMENTATION FOR APPLICATIONS THAT ARE SKIPPED (BASED ON PERCENTILES).
1/2
NIH is changing their policy so that staff have to prepare justification for every application that is funded BUT NO DOCUMENTATION FOR APPLICATIONS THAT ARE SKIPPED (BASED ON PERCENTILES).
1/2
November 24, 2025 at 3:41 AM
This new policy from NIH is concerning.
It looks like a way to weaponize administrative burden, one of Russell Vought's favorite moves to break gov't.
Background: Program staff / NIH institute directors can move grants around outside peer review order. 1/
It looks like a way to weaponize administrative burden, one of Russell Vought's favorite moves to break gov't.
Background: Program staff / NIH institute directors can move grants around outside peer review order. 1/
Reposted by Mark Histed
the economic success of the U.S. is significantly built on the land grant universities and in particular their excellent agricultural science tradition.
Really important to stress that the Crown Jewels of the US higher education system were never the Ivies or elite SLACs (other countries have equivalents of these) but the well-funded, large, cheap, and excellently staffed public state university systems bringing high quality education to the masses.
One of the bragging rights that the US ed system had in the 20th century is that we didn't have education tracks. Essentially, any kid could go to a CC or state school & major in whatever they wanted to (obviously an oversimplification). I fear this aspect of the American dream is dying.
November 23, 2025 at 5:26 PM
the economic success of the U.S. is significantly built on the land grant universities and in particular their excellent agricultural science tradition.
No surprise the Trump NIH director doesn’t understand how science works—doesn’t get NIH has been *the* world-historic leader in innovation.
After all, he’s never actually done any science.
Even before his rightwing pundit career 2020-25, he spent his time with economists, not scientists.
After all, he’s never actually done any science.
Even before his rightwing pundit career 2020-25, he spent his time with economists, not scientists.
The NIH director told attendees the NIH doesn't do enough innovative research.
“What puts lives at risk is doing research that’s incremental,” Bhattacharya said. “All it does is advance the careers of the researchers that do it. It results in publications that don’t get used and aren’t replicable.”
“What puts lives at risk is doing research that’s incremental,” Bhattacharya said. “All it does is advance the careers of the researchers that do it. It results in publications that don’t get used and aren’t replicable.”
November 23, 2025 at 10:28 PM
No surprise the Trump NIH director doesn’t understand how science works—doesn’t get NIH has been *the* world-historic leader in innovation.
After all, he’s never actually done any science.
Even before his rightwing pundit career 2020-25, he spent his time with economists, not scientists.
After all, he’s never actually done any science.
Even before his rightwing pundit career 2020-25, he spent his time with economists, not scientists.
Reposted by Mark Histed
How often have you heard that schizophrenia is “80% genetic”?
That number is almost certainly too high because it comes from twin studies that overestimate heritabilty.
Great explainer of this phenomenon👇
#neuroskyence #neuroscience #psychiatry
That number is almost certainly too high because it comes from twin studies that overestimate heritabilty.
Great explainer of this phenomenon👇
#neuroskyence #neuroscience #psychiatry
I wrote a little bit about the "missing heritability" question and several recent studies that have brought it to a close. A short 🧵
The missing heritability question is now (mostly) answered
Not with a bang but with a whimper
theinfinitesimal.substack.com
November 23, 2025 at 11:49 AM
How often have you heard that schizophrenia is “80% genetic”?
That number is almost certainly too high because it comes from twin studies that overestimate heritabilty.
Great explainer of this phenomenon👇
#neuroskyence #neuroscience #psychiatry
That number is almost certainly too high because it comes from twin studies that overestimate heritabilty.
Great explainer of this phenomenon👇
#neuroskyence #neuroscience #psychiatry
The Twitter algorithms create these trolls. If Musk wanted to fight back on misinformation on Twitter he could do so in a moment. But he likes it.
This is why we should leave Twitter: it’s designed to influence us. In a bad way.
And in the future we need policy solutions— 1/
This is why we should leave Twitter: it’s designed to influence us. In a bad way.
And in the future we need policy solutions— 1/
Meanwhile on Hellsite, who knew all the Elon bots were Nigerian? 🤡
November 23, 2025 at 2:30 PM
The Twitter algorithms create these trolls. If Musk wanted to fight back on misinformation on Twitter he could do so in a moment. But he likes it.
This is why we should leave Twitter: it’s designed to influence us. In a bad way.
And in the future we need policy solutions— 1/
This is why we should leave Twitter: it’s designed to influence us. In a bad way.
And in the future we need policy solutions— 1/
Reposted by Mark Histed
Many of the biggest problems America faces today have their roots in “forgive & forget” after the Civil War & the violent overthrow of Reconstruction by white supremacists. We can’t afford to repeat those enormous blunders this time. www.hup.harvard.edu/books/978067...
November 23, 2025 at 1:42 PM
Many of the biggest problems America faces today have their roots in “forgive & forget” after the Civil War & the violent overthrow of Reconstruction by white supremacists. We can’t afford to repeat those enormous blunders this time. www.hup.harvard.edu/books/978067...
Reposted by Mark Histed
Making the PE form liable for all debts owed by the companies they purchase gets rid of most of the problem
It’s always felt wrong to me that you could buy a company by making the company take out a loan for the purchase. It just makes no sense
November 22, 2025 at 10:36 PM
Making the PE form liable for all debts owed by the companies they purchase gets rid of most of the problem
This is a story about how America’s world-leading cancer and dementia research system was destroyed by frauds and naifs who broke the law.
There must be consequences.
There must be consequences.
Some incredible details in this piece
*one DOGE faction was planning the future of the US government at a venture capital firm
*illegally communicating on Signal to avoid transparency laws was deeply embedded into organizational culture to be taken for granted
*one DOGE faction was planning the future of the US government at a venture capital firm
*illegally communicating on Signal to avoid transparency laws was deeply embedded into organizational culture to be taken for granted
November 22, 2025 at 10:12 PM
This is a story about how America’s world-leading cancer and dementia research system was destroyed by frauds and naifs who broke the law.
There must be consequences.
There must be consequences.
Reposted by Mark Histed
One thing I feel strongly about:
The NIH peer review system is the beating heart of the agency and the whole US biomedical research agency. It is the worst system for assigning grants but no other system has been developed that is better. It draws democratically from the scientific community.
The NIH peer review system is the beating heart of the agency and the whole US biomedical research agency. It is the worst system for assigning grants but no other system has been developed that is better. It draws democratically from the scientific community.
November 22, 2025 at 5:42 PM
One thing I feel strongly about:
The NIH peer review system is the beating heart of the agency and the whole US biomedical research agency. It is the worst system for assigning grants but no other system has been developed that is better. It draws democratically from the scientific community.
The NIH peer review system is the beating heart of the agency and the whole US biomedical research agency. It is the worst system for assigning grants but no other system has been developed that is better. It draws democratically from the scientific community.
Reposted by Mark Histed
1) good, they should be prosecuted, they are responsible for countless deaths
2) always very funny when these people realize the extent to which their billionaire patrons could not possibly give less of a shit about them
2) always very funny when these people realize the extent to which their billionaire patrons could not possibly give less of a shit about them
'Suddenly exposed' DOGE employees fear prosecution after Musk abandoned them: report
www.rawstory.com/doge-employe...
www.rawstory.com/doge-employe...
'Suddenly exposed' DOGE employees fear prosecution after Musk abandoned them: report
Current and former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffers are growing increasingly concerned that the work they did slashing government programs and eliminating jobs will come back to hau...
www.rawstory.com
November 22, 2025 at 7:41 PM
1) good, they should be prosecuted, they are responsible for countless deaths
2) always very funny when these people realize the extent to which their billionaire patrons could not possibly give less of a shit about them
2) always very funny when these people realize the extent to which their billionaire patrons could not possibly give less of a shit about them
I’ve heard this widely living in DC:
That there are just massive boosts given to mediocre conservatives in the law and in media
1/
That there are just massive boosts given to mediocre conservatives in the law and in media
1/
Easily the stupidest person at my law school was given a professorship solely on the basis of his being pathologically into Ayn Rand.
when I was in law school everyone knew that joining the federalist society was like getting tsa precheck for a clerkship
November 22, 2025 at 7:13 PM
I’ve heard this widely living in DC:
That there are just massive boosts given to mediocre conservatives in the law and in media
1/
That there are just massive boosts given to mediocre conservatives in the law and in media
1/
But institutional structure matters too. If the system is not resistant to political interference it’s worth thinking about how the system can be improved.
Deviation from peer review scores has some upside (allows program and IC directors to set strategy) but has downsides (a political hack as… 1/
Deviation from peer review scores has some upside (allows program and IC directors to set strategy) but has downsides (a political hack as… 1/
Calm down. It’s no change for most and the right call for tyrannical payline ICs. The structure is fine. It’s the question of who is making the Program Priority calls, and on what basis, that is the potential problem.
November 22, 2025 at 5:38 PM
But institutional structure matters too. If the system is not resistant to political interference it’s worth thinking about how the system can be improved.
Deviation from peer review scores has some upside (allows program and IC directors to set strategy) but has downsides (a political hack as… 1/
Deviation from peer review scores has some upside (allows program and IC directors to set strategy) but has downsides (a political hack as… 1/
Reposted by Mark Histed
Look, it’s unlike me to say something like this — and, frankly, a bit embarrassing — but I want to hear less about these people’s terrible decisions, loose morals, and weird sex stuff and more about this.
November 22, 2025 at 3:26 PM
Look, it’s unlike me to say something like this — and, frankly, a bit embarrassing — but I want to hear less about these people’s terrible decisions, loose morals, and weird sex stuff and more about this.
This week the Trump CDC attacked science — and our health, and our kids’ health — by twisting the truth on the CDC website.
There’s things to say about the playbook they used, and that’s helped by a little explanation about scientific truth in practice.
New vid explainer from me:
🧪 part 1/
There’s things to say about the playbook they used, and that’s helped by a little explanation about scientific truth in practice.
New vid explainer from me:
🧪 part 1/
November 22, 2025 at 12:04 AM
This week the Trump CDC attacked science — and our health, and our kids’ health — by twisting the truth on the CDC website.
There’s things to say about the playbook they used, and that’s helped by a little explanation about scientific truth in practice.
New vid explainer from me:
🧪 part 1/
There’s things to say about the playbook they used, and that’s helped by a little explanation about scientific truth in practice.
New vid explainer from me:
🧪 part 1/
As we were saying :/
November 21, 2025 at 8:30 PM
As we were saying :/
Reposted by Mark Histed
We have a mixed economy. We benefit from free markets and competition in lots of sectors, and also have a judicial system, border security, national defense, economic security for seniors and those who can't work that is socially funded. That's a good thing!
November 21, 2025 at 3:06 PM
We have a mixed economy. We benefit from free markets and competition in lots of sectors, and also have a judicial system, border security, national defense, economic security for seniors and those who can't work that is socially funded. That's a good thing!
Reposted by Mark Histed
Faculty senates are under attack from new legislation that sidelines faculty voices and undermines academic freedom. The latest AAUP report defends independent, representative governance as essential to higher ed’s integrity. @aaup.org academeblog.org/2025/11/18/i...
In Defense of an Independent and Representative Faculty Voice: The Case of Faculty Senates
BY AFSHAN JAFAR We have recently seen accelerating legislative and political attacks on faculty governing bodies at state institutions, including legislation recently enacted in Indiana, Ohio, Utah…
academeblog.org
November 21, 2025 at 1:44 PM
Faculty senates are under attack from new legislation that sidelines faculty voices and undermines academic freedom. The latest AAUP report defends independent, representative governance as essential to higher ed’s integrity. @aaup.org academeblog.org/2025/11/18/i...
Reposted by Mark Histed
With Trump picks in control of the institutes, installed as IC directors, they can use this text. They can use “ICO priorities” to tear up the process by which expert scientists set goals, score grants, and fund the best ones (as judged by expert scientists).
November 20, 2025 at 11:11 PM
With Trump picks in control of the institutes, installed as IC directors, they can use this text. They can use “ICO priorities” to tear up the process by which expert scientists set goals, score grants, and fund the best ones (as judged by expert scientists).
This is very interesting!
People who yell about generational inequality are liars or fools. The problem is the super-rich, not your parents deanbaker22.substack.com/p/the-rich-p...
The Rich People Who Own the Media Want Generations to Fight, not Classes
Yelling about generational inequality is a sure tell someone is a liar or clueless
deanbaker22.substack.com
November 21, 2025 at 3:34 AM
This is very interesting!
Lots going on but don’t lose track of the Trump attacks on biomedical research and cancer cures.
@jeremymberg.bsky.social posted a leaked #NIH memo today. I want to highlight a few scary parts.
They’re about taking power from scientists and experts and giving it to the president’s hacks. 1/ 🧪
@jeremymberg.bsky.social posted a leaked #NIH memo today. I want to highlight a few scary parts.
They’re about taking power from scientists and experts and giving it to the president’s hacks. 1/ 🧪
November 20, 2025 at 11:11 PM
Lots going on but don’t lose track of the Trump attacks on biomedical research and cancer cures.
@jeremymberg.bsky.social posted a leaked #NIH memo today. I want to highlight a few scary parts.
They’re about taking power from scientists and experts and giving it to the president’s hacks. 1/ 🧪
@jeremymberg.bsky.social posted a leaked #NIH memo today. I want to highlight a few scary parts.
They’re about taking power from scientists and experts and giving it to the president’s hacks. 1/ 🧪
Reposted by Mark Histed
The epistemic environment is not good, folks. It's not good at all.
November 20, 2025 at 6:50 PM
The epistemic environment is not good, folks. It's not good at all.