Sophia, MPH
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sophiacbess.bsky.social
Sophia, MPH
@sophiacbess.bsky.social
1.1K followers 2.4K following 560 posts
public health person, data scientist, GenAI refuser digging in my heels. I ❤️ vaccination.

personal account; views my own, not my employer’s
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Sophia, MPH
alexis-madrigal.bsky.social
This is just the thing...

AI slop doesn't just drive down trust in AI slop, but all content. Encountering a bot when you expect a human drives down trust in ALL online social interactions.

Neither of these problems will get better as the tech improves.

bsky.app/profile/almo...
almodozo.bsky.social Joost @almodozo.bsky.social · 13h
The opposite too. Any social media content that makes me feel righteous indignation, I now instinctively distrust. The actual Bad Stuff is obviously happening out there; but viral stories and videos I see about it on social, if I don't know the source? Always second guessing my reaction now
November 26, 2025 at 12:49 AM
Reposted by Sophia, MPH
alexis-madrigal.bsky.social
One of the big tidal forces of the coming years is that the baseline reliability of things you see on a screen is going to decline.

I think this has not been adequately metabolized.

This is one version, but there are a bunch of them.
davey.bsky.social Davey Alba @davey.bsky.social · 22h
NEW: AI “recipe slop” is overrunning search and social. Food creators say Google’s AI Overviews and glossy fake food pics are drowning out real, tested recipes — collapsing traffic and setting home cooks up for disaster, especially this Thanksgiving.

Gift link: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
AI Slop Recipes Are Taking Over the Internet -- And Thanksgiving Dinner
Food bloggers see traffic dip as home cooks turn to AI, inspired by impossible pictures
www.bloomberg.com
November 25, 2025 at 9:39 PM
Reposted by Sophia, MPH
rcolesworthy.bsky.social
one of the coolest things about ChatGPT is how you can actually just never use it. you can fill your whole entire life with simply not once using it. it's incredible.
November 25, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Reposted by Sophia, MPH
aetiology.bsky.social
3 infant #pertussis deaths this year in Kentucky. "Of the three infant deaths reported over the past 12 months, all three were not vaccinated, nor were their mothers."

We first tested maternal vaccination for whooping cough over 80 years ago. It's safe & effective & might have saved these babies.
www.wowktv.com
November 25, 2025 at 1:27 AM
Reposted by Sophia, MPH
tressiemcphd.bsky.social
It’s blowing my mind that schools, universities, public services would run headlong into this. We spent 15 years documenting black boxes. This is a black box in a black hole!
hbcompass.bsky.social Heather Bryant @hbcompass.bsky.social · 2d
I don't understand how anyone can watch how blatantly Grok is manipulated to answer the way ownership desires it to and then act like the other LLM chatbots couldn't possibly be similarly but less obviously compromised to produce responses in whatever way corporate interests and priorities dictate.
November 23, 2025 at 11:16 PM
Reposted by Sophia, MPH
jpweiland.bsky.social
BA.2.86* (nicknamed Pirola) has had the longest reign without a major evolutionary shift. We're now approaching 2 full years.

WT ~10 months
Alpha ~6 months
Delta ~5 months
BA.1/2 ~7 months
BA.5 ~6 months
XBB ~11 months
BA.2.86 ~23+ months
November 21, 2025 at 12:02 AM
Reposted by Sophia, MPH
drdemetre.bsky.social
Weaponization of the premier public health agency in the country for personal clout and gain. The CDC website should not be trusted given the fact that it is controlled by people who will profit from spurious and false attempts to link vaccines to autism.

www.cdc.gov/vaccine-safe...
Autism and Vaccines
Answers to common questions about vaccine safety and autism.
www.cdc.gov
November 20, 2025 at 3:32 AM
Reposted by Sophia, MPH
sesmith.lol
Fantastic reporting from my comrade @tinavasquez.bsky.social on ongoing ICE actions in North Carolina.
North Carolina immigration raids expected to escalate
As the impacts of the raids quickly ripple outward from Charlotte, North Carolinians are mobilizing to stem enforcement operations in their communities
prismreports.org
November 19, 2025 at 9:36 PM
Reposted by Sophia, MPH
404media.co
NEW: US airlines (Delta, United, American, etc) will shut down a program in which it sold hundreds of millions of your flight records to government agencies, including ICE, FBI, ATF, more. Comes after intense lawmaker-pressure and 404 Media's months-long reporting
www.404media.co/airlines-wil...
Airlines Will Shut Down Program That Sold Your Flights Records to Government
The move comes after intense pressure from lawmakers and 404 Media’s months-long reporting about the airline industry's data selling practices.
www.404media.co
November 18, 2025 at 6:45 PM
Reposted by Sophia, MPH
durhamhealthnc.bsky.social
Recall alert: NC is one of 12 states so far with cases of infant botulism linked to ByHeart Whole Nutrition Infant Formula. If you have this formula, do not use it. If your child recently consumed this formula, contact a doctor immediately if they show symptoms. More info www.fda.gov/food/outbrea...
Recall alert: All ByHeart Whole Nutrition Infant Formula products have been recalled due to cases of infant botulism. This includes all unexpired lots of formula cans and single-serve “anywhere” sticks. Most infants with infant botulism will initially develop constipation, poor feeding, loss of head control, and difficulty swallowing, which can progress to difficulty breathing and respiratory arrest. Symptoms of infant botulism, which is diagnosed clinically, can take as long as several weeks to develop following formula ingestion. Recommendations for parents: Stop using any ByHeart infant formula products immediately. If your child consumed ByHeart formula and has symptoms, seek immediate medical attention. If your child consumed ByHeart formula and is not currently showing symptoms, continue monitoring them and seek medical attention if symptoms develop. If you still have the formula in your home, you should: take a photo or record the information on the bottom of the package. keep the container in a safe spot and be sure to label that product as DO NOT USE. If your child develops symptoms your state health department might want to collect your formula container for testing. If your child does not develop symptoms after 30 days, throw your containers out. Botulism can be fatal, and you should take action right away. If your child has consumed ByHeart Whole Nutrition Infant Formula and is experiencing signs and symptoms of botulism such as poor feeding, loss of head control, difficulty swallowing, or decreased facial expression, seek immediate medical attention. Do not consume these products. Throw them away or return them.
November 12, 2025 at 3:19 PM
sophiacbess.bsky.social
Durham, we got one! Already seeing it around town. Thank you @meganpiont.bsky.social
meganpiont.bsky.social Megan Piontkowski illustration @meganpiont.bsky.social · 9d
70+ free printable "How to Report ICE" zines with info on the SALUTE protocol and local hotline numbers for all over the country! Including some in Spanish!

There is an info sheet on how to fold and cut the zines and a form to request a zine for your area.

drive.google.com/drive/folder...
Aloe plant "reading" black and white illustrated zine titled "How to Report ICE and Help Keep Our Neighbors Safe."
November 19, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Reposted by Sophia, MPH
meganpiont.bsky.social
70+ free printable "How to Report ICE" zines with info on the SALUTE protocol and local hotline numbers for all over the country! Including some in Spanish!

There is an info sheet on how to fold and cut the zines and a form to request a zine for your area.

drive.google.com/drive/folder...
Aloe plant "reading" black and white illustrated zine titled "How to Report ICE and Help Keep Our Neighbors Safe."
November 17, 2025 at 12:14 AM
Reposted by Sophia, MPH
theassemblync.bsky.social
BREAKING: U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents will be deployed in the Raleigh area on Tuesday, Democratic legislative sources briefed by Gov. Josh Stein’s office told The Assembly and INDY on Monday.

www.theassemblync.com/news/politic...
Immigration Agents Coming to Raleigh Tuesday, Sources Say
Democratic legislative sources briefed by Gov. Josh Stein’s office told The Assembly and INDY agents are coming to the state capital.
www.theassemblync.com
November 17, 2025 at 11:08 PM
Reposted by Sophia, MPH
publichealthguy1.bsky.social
this is theranos-level fraud, but everyone with the power to do anything about it is on the take, apparently
60minutes.bsky.social 60 Minutes @60minutes.bsky.social · 9d
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei thinks AI could help find cures for most cancers, prevent Alzheimer’s, and even double the human lifespan. cbsn.ws/4oRZ8Nm
November 17, 2025 at 1:22 AM
Reposted by Sophia, MPH
reallandsend.bsky.social
Alice Wong’s legacy is the political horizon she helped articulate. A horizon where disabled knowledge is central, and care is a shared commitment. She taught us to name grief & rage without collapsing under them, to celebrate disabled brilliance without ignoring the material conditions shaping life
November 15, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Reposted by Sophia, MPH
mskellymhayes.bsky.social
So saddened by the news that we have lost Alice Wong. It was an honor to know her and learn from her. May the lessons she shared continue to guide us for years to come.
Photo of Alice Wong, an Asian American disabled woman in a power chair. She is wearing an orange and black tiger-striped sweater, black pants, a bold red lip color, and a trach at her neck. In the background is a gray cement wall with greenery. (Photo credit: Eddie Hernandez Photography) This is Alice’s friend Sandy Ho, posting. Per Alice’s wishes, this message is being shared at the time of her passing. Hi everyone, it looks like I ran out of time. I have so many dreams that I wanted to fulfill and plans to create new stories for you. There are a few in progress that might come to fruition in a few years if things work out. I did not ever imagine I would live to this age and end up a writer, editor, activist, and more. As a kid riddled with insecurity and internalized ableism, I could not see a path forward. It was thanks to friendships and some great teachers who believed in me that I was able to fight my way out of miserable situations into a place where I finally felt comfortable in my skin. We need more stories about us and our culture. You all, we all, deserve the everything and more in such a hostile, ableist environment. Our wisdom is incisive and unflinching. I'm honored to be your ancestor and believe disabled oracles like us will light the way to the future. Don't let the bastards grind you down. I love you all.
November 15, 2025 at 4:36 PM
Reposted by Sophia, MPH
kakape.bsky.social
“This is a very important development,” says Dyann Wirth, a malaria researcher at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health who was not involved in the work. “We’ve been looking for this for a long time.”
🧪 #IDsky
www.science.org/content/arti...
‘A sigh of relief’: New malaria drug succeeds in large clinical trial
As existing drugs falter because of resistance, the world gets a backup—but hard choices loom on how to use it
www.science.org
November 12, 2025 at 10:21 PM
Reposted by Sophia, MPH
mjcrockett.bsky.social
Pop-up AI defacing your article critical of AI captures a lot of what it feels like to work in this space.
@lmesseri.bsky.social
November 7, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Reposted by Sophia, MPH
alexip718.com
To put this in scale, Elon Musk's salary from Tesla alone could fund the SNAP program for the entire country into 2034.
legal.reuters.com Reuters Legal @legal.reuters.com · 19d
Tesla CEO Elon Musk scored a resounding victory on Thursday as shareholders approved a pay package of as much as $878 billion over the next decade, endorsing his vision of morphing the EV maker into an AI and robotics juggernaut.
Tesla shareholders approve $878 billion pay plan for Elon Musk
Tesla CEO Elon Musk scored a resounding victory on Thursday as shareholders approved a pay package of as much as $878 billion over the next decade, endorsing his vision of morphing the EV maker into an AI and robotics juggernaut.
reut.rs
November 6, 2025 at 10:19 PM
Reposted by Sophia, MPH
jasonkoebler.bsky.social
Once you start thinking of AI as a war on humanity, on human thought, on human inquiry, on human labor, on nuance and critical thinking, it slots in pretty seamlessly with the right wing ideological project, oligarchical political projects, big tech's political projects, etc
The future being pushed by both AI boosters and educational censors is one where access to information is tightly controlled. Children will not be allowed to read certain books or learn certain narratives. “Research” will be performed only through one of a select few artificial intelligence tools owned by AI giants which are uniformly aligned behind the Trump administration and which have gone to the ends of the earth to prevent their black box machines from spitting out “woke” answers lest they catch the ire of the administration. School boards and library boards, forced to comply with increasingly restrictive laws, funding cuts, and the threat of being defunded entirely, leap at the chance to be considered forward looking by embracing AI tools, or apply for grants from government groups like the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), which is increasingly giving out grants specifically to AI projects.
November 6, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Reposted by Sophia, MPH
chanda.blacksky.app
This is a very good sign about his understanding of what good governance involves
November 5, 2025 at 8:38 PM
Reposted by Sophia, MPH
hypervisible.blacksky.app
OpenAI is a social arsonist.
November 2, 2025 at 12:53 AM
Reposted by Sophia, MPH
mcbazacophd.bsky.social
I love kids. I have two of them. They’re amazing. However, kids are the absolute least self aware, clumsiest little puffins on the planet.

Please don’t drive tonight unless you have to, and if you do drive, drive super slow and pay 100% attention at all times.

Happy Halloween! 🎃 👻 💀

#PublicHealth
October 31, 2025 at 11:35 AM
Reposted by Sophia, MPH
hypervisible.blacksky.app
“Ironically, while naming AI psychosis might seem like a step toward addressing an emerging, unmet public health need, this term easily becomes a distraction from the underlying problem it exposes — by pathologizing users instead of penalizing companies.”
October 29, 2025 at 12:55 PM