Mark Johnson
@markjohnpost.bsky.social
Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post science reporter. Author of the novel "Though The Earth Gives Way." Co-author, "One in a Billion: The Story of Nic Volker and the Dawn of Genomic Medicine." University of Toronto grad. Signal: majohnso.20
A new clinical trial at Children's National Hospital in D.C. is taking aim at children's solid tumors an area with little progress to show for the last 30 years. My article in The Washington Post ran today: www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...
Why this clinical trial is offering some young cancer patients hope
Children’s National Hospital is poised to recruit patients for a new clinical trial that will take on an old, implacable foe: children’s solid tumors. Little progress has been made in 30 years.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 2, 2025 at 9:27 PM
A new clinical trial at Children's National Hospital in D.C. is taking aim at children's solid tumors an area with little progress to show for the last 30 years. My article in The Washington Post ran today: www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...
Reposted by Mark Johnson
GIFT!
Study Finds mRNA Covid Vaccines Prolonged Life of Cancer Patients
By @markjohnpost.bsky.social
"Covid-19 vaccines, credited with saving millions of lives during the pandemic, set off a powerful alarm that rallies the human immune system against cancer and nearly doubles the median survival."
Study Finds mRNA Covid Vaccines Prolonged Life of Cancer Patients
By @markjohnpost.bsky.social
"Covid-19 vaccines, credited with saving millions of lives during the pandemic, set off a powerful alarm that rallies the human immune system against cancer and nearly doubles the median survival."
October 23, 2025 at 4:24 PM
GIFT!
Study Finds mRNA Covid Vaccines Prolonged Life of Cancer Patients
By @markjohnpost.bsky.social
"Covid-19 vaccines, credited with saving millions of lives during the pandemic, set off a powerful alarm that rallies the human immune system against cancer and nearly doubles the median survival."
Study Finds mRNA Covid Vaccines Prolonged Life of Cancer Patients
By @markjohnpost.bsky.social
"Covid-19 vaccines, credited with saving millions of lives during the pandemic, set off a powerful alarm that rallies the human immune system against cancer and nearly doubles the median survival."
Reposted by Mark Johnson
Why do optical illusions work? The culprit may be a group of neurons in the visual cortex that help us fill in missing information.
@markjohnpost.bsky.social for @washingtonpost.com dives into the science and how it could help demystify visual hallucinations: www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...
@markjohnpost.bsky.social for @washingtonpost.com dives into the science and how it could help demystify visual hallucinations: www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...
The origins of hallucinations are traced in specialized brain cells
Researchers used lasers to record and stimulate the activity of neurons in mice to learn how the brain processes and interprets optical illusions.
www.washingtonpost.com
October 6, 2025 at 10:06 PM
Why do optical illusions work? The culprit may be a group of neurons in the visual cortex that help us fill in missing information.
@markjohnpost.bsky.social for @washingtonpost.com dives into the science and how it could help demystify visual hallucinations: www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...
@markjohnpost.bsky.social for @washingtonpost.com dives into the science and how it could help demystify visual hallucinations: www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...
Two months after HHS eliminates almost $500 million in funding for mRNA vaccine development, a new study finds evidence that the covid-19 vaccine almost doubled median survival length in some cancer patients. www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...
Study finds mRNA coronavirus vaccines prolonged life of cancer patients
A study found that covid-19 vaccines appeared to awaken the immune system in lung and skin cancer patients, helping them live longer than those not vaccinated.
www.washingtonpost.com
October 23, 2025 at 12:17 PM
Two months after HHS eliminates almost $500 million in funding for mRNA vaccine development, a new study finds evidence that the covid-19 vaccine almost doubled median survival length in some cancer patients. www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...
Would Xi or Putin plonk down a $1 billion bet on someone living to the age of 150? Here's my story in today's Post: www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...
The $1 billion wager riding on whether a human will live to 150
The leaders of China and Russia discussed medical advances and whether a human might reach the age of 150. Two experts in the longevity field have a “$1 billion” wager riding on the question.
www.washingtonpost.com
September 5, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Would Xi or Putin plonk down a $1 billion bet on someone living to the age of 150? Here's my story in today's Post: www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...
New weapon in the fight against tooth decay may come from sheep's wool or human hair. I have a story in The Washington Post on research from King's College London. www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...
The potential key to upgrading toothpaste? Sheep’s wool and human hair.
Scientists find keratin from hair can form a protective coating on teeth, potentially preventing tooth decay and promoting better dental care
www.washingtonpost.com
August 15, 2025 at 2:18 PM
New weapon in the fight against tooth decay may come from sheep's wool or human hair. I have a story in The Washington Post on research from King's College London. www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...
Great reporting by my colleagues at The Washington Post on the administration's "war on data." www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Trump’s answer to numbers he doesn’t like: Change them or throw them away
From D.C. crime rates to census collection to labor statistics, the administration has suppressed inconvenient data and conjured inaccurate statistics to bolster policy objectives.
www.washingtonpost.com
August 14, 2025 at 5:34 PM
Great reporting by my colleagues at The Washington Post on the administration's "war on data." www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
I'm in awe of my colleagues' excellent work on the shooting at CDC headquarters in Atlanta. Read this terrific story by Lauren Webber and Lena Sun. www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
After CDC shooting, its employees turn their anger to RFK Jr. and Trump
Documents from the shooter’s home showed his discontent with coronavirus vaccines, authorities said. CDC workers want RFK Jr. to denounce vaccine misinformation.
www.washingtonpost.com
August 12, 2025 at 4:10 PM
I'm in awe of my colleagues' excellent work on the shooting at CDC headquarters in Atlanta. Read this terrific story by Lauren Webber and Lena Sun. www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
Harvard Medical School researchers have discovered that the depletion of lithium in the brain leads to much of the deterioration in Alzheimer's disease. In a mouse model, they were actually able to reverse the damage. Here's my story in The Post: www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...
Research on reversing Alzheimer’s reveals lithium as potential key
Years of investigation by scientists at Harvard has revealed that lithium is deeply involved in Alzheimer’s disease, a finding that could lead to new treatments.
www.washingtonpost.com
August 6, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Harvard Medical School researchers have discovered that the depletion of lithium in the brain leads to much of the deterioration in Alzheimer's disease. In a mouse model, they were actually able to reverse the damage. Here's my story in The Post: www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...
Is NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya "not a politician" as he says? Here's my story in The Post. Let me know what you think:
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
NIH director says cuts aim to reduce ‘ideological research,’ focus on health
Science and American politics have become intertwined as perhaps never before.
www.washingtonpost.com
July 30, 2025 at 1:24 PM
Is NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya "not a politician" as he says? Here's my story in The Post. Let me know what you think:
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
Reposted by Mark Johnson
Protecting his stock portfolio while ripping away health care from 17 million Americans.
This is Washington at its worst.
We need to ban Congressional stock trading.
This is Washington at its worst.
We need to ban Congressional stock trading.
July 3, 2025 at 5:36 PM
Protecting his stock portfolio while ripping away health care from 17 million Americans.
This is Washington at its worst.
We need to ban Congressional stock trading.
This is Washington at its worst.
We need to ban Congressional stock trading.
What happened to Kilmar Abrego Garcia in El Salvadoran prison: "guards, who had determined that he wasn’t a hardened gang member, threatened to put him in with real gang members who would 'tear' him apart."
Read story by Steve Thompson, of The Washington Post. www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
Read story by Steve Thompson, of The Washington Post. www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
Kilmar Abrego García’s lawyers describe ‘severe beatings’ in El Salvador prison
In a rare account of conditions inside the notorious Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), Abrego’s attorneys say he and others deported there from the United States were beaten and forced to kneel fo...
www.washingtonpost.com
July 3, 2025 at 12:49 PM
What happened to Kilmar Abrego Garcia in El Salvadoran prison: "guards, who had determined that he wasn’t a hardened gang member, threatened to put him in with real gang members who would 'tear' him apart."
Read story by Steve Thompson, of The Washington Post. www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
Read story by Steve Thompson, of The Washington Post. www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
Reposted by Mark Johnson
This is a terrible decision that threatens what has long been an indispensable resource for patients and their providers. The federal HIV guidelines have been a model for a living document that is constantly updated through a rigorous and collaborative process.
What next at HHS? My story on the phasing out of NIH support for HIV clinical practice guidelines.
www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...
www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...
Administration to phase out NIH support of HIV clinical guidelines
The National Institutes of Health will phase out its support of the clinical practice guidelines that advise doctors how to diagnose and treat HIV.
www.washingtonpost.com
June 21, 2025 at 2:33 PM
This is a terrible decision that threatens what has long been an indispensable resource for patients and their providers. The federal HIV guidelines have been a model for a living document that is constantly updated through a rigorous and collaborative process.
What next at HHS? My story on the phasing out of NIH support for HIV clinical practice guidelines.
www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...
www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...
Administration to phase out NIH support of HIV clinical guidelines
The National Institutes of Health will phase out its support of the clinical practice guidelines that advise doctors how to diagnose and treat HIV.
www.washingtonpost.com
June 21, 2025 at 1:59 PM
What next at HHS? My story on the phasing out of NIH support for HIV clinical practice guidelines.
www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...
www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...
Doing the right thing. Finally.
www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/...
www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/...
Tulsa announces reparations for the 1921 ‘Black Wall Street’ massacre
It took decades of research by historians and journalists — and reports by state and federal commissions — to uncover the violence that claimed more than 300 Black lives.
www.washingtonpost.com
June 3, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Doing the right thing. Finally.
www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/...
www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/...
A bleak future for the government's chemical safety agency.
www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
White House proposes shutting down chemical safety agency
Since 1998, the Chemical Safety Board has played a key role in probing the causes of major chemical accidents.
www.washingtonpost.com
June 3, 2025 at 3:42 PM
A bleak future for the government's chemical safety agency.
www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
Reposted by Mark Johnson
You can't treat what you can't reach.
A new fleet of 1,000 "gene delivery trucks" could help bring more targeted gene therapies to the brain and spinal cord.
Dive deeper in this great article by @markjohnpost.bsky.social for @washingtonpost.com.
🧠📈 www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...
A new fleet of 1,000 "gene delivery trucks" could help bring more targeted gene therapies to the brain and spinal cord.
Dive deeper in this great article by @markjohnpost.bsky.social for @washingtonpost.com.
🧠📈 www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...
May 28, 2025 at 9:51 PM
You can't treat what you can't reach.
A new fleet of 1,000 "gene delivery trucks" could help bring more targeted gene therapies to the brain and spinal cord.
Dive deeper in this great article by @markjohnpost.bsky.social for @washingtonpost.com.
🧠📈 www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...
A new fleet of 1,000 "gene delivery trucks" could help bring more targeted gene therapies to the brain and spinal cord.
Dive deeper in this great article by @markjohnpost.bsky.social for @washingtonpost.com.
🧠📈 www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...
Yet another batch of pardons. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Trump’s clemency spree extends to ex-gangster, artist, former congressmen
Trump said he also is considering pardons for men convicted in the kidnapping plot against Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan.
www.washingtonpost.com
May 29, 2025 at 1:04 PM
Yet another batch of pardons. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Mark Johnson
We discussed this incredible article in lab meeting today from @markjohnpost.bsky.social in @washingtonpost.com
wapo.st/3ZDCj5d
wapo.st/3ZDCj5d
A grim prognosis, a gamble and one patient’s fight to defy cancer
After a Stage 4 cancer diagnosis and a prognosis of 16 months to live, Katie Doble didn’t know whether she should plan her wedding or her funeral.
wapo.st
May 27, 2025 at 6:14 PM
We discussed this incredible article in lab meeting today from @markjohnpost.bsky.social in @washingtonpost.com
wapo.st/3ZDCj5d
wapo.st/3ZDCj5d
The Washington Post has published a story I wrote on important new discoveries made through the NIH Brain initiative. www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...
Scientists develop gene delivery ‘trucks’ that could treat brain diseases
Gene delivery systems can target specific brain cells, a breakthrough that could lead to treatments for Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases.
www.washingtonpost.com
May 28, 2025 at 6:13 PM
The Washington Post has published a story I wrote on important new discoveries made through the NIH Brain initiative. www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025...
More pardoning. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Trump to pardon reality stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
The former stars of USA Network’s “Chrisley Knows Best” were sentenced to 12 and seven years, respectively, in 2022 for fraud and tax evasion.
www.washingtonpost.com
May 28, 2025 at 3:57 PM
More pardoning. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Historians purged. www.washingtonpost.com/history/2025...
These historians oversee unbiased accounts of U.S. foreign policy. Trump fired them all.
An advisory committee of historians helps ensure the record of America’s history remains unbiased, transparent and thorough. Trump just fired the entire panel.
www.washingtonpost.com
May 28, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Historians purged. www.washingtonpost.com/history/2025...
RFK Jr. continues his push to dictate what constitutes good science. www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
RFK Jr. says he may bar scientists from publishing in top medical journals
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took aim at reputed journals such as the Lancet and said the agency will create “in-house” publications instead.
www.washingtonpost.com
May 28, 2025 at 1:20 PM
RFK Jr. continues his push to dictate what constitutes good science. www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
Great reporting by my Post colleagues raising questions about the President's picks to provide oversight. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Trump oversight picks include scandal-hit ex-lawmaker, antiabortion lawyer
Several nominees have clearly partisan backgrounds, including two with controversial histories and two with ties to the agency they would be investigating.
www.washingtonpost.com
May 28, 2025 at 1:14 PM
Great reporting by my Post colleagues raising questions about the President's picks to provide oversight. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...