Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Susanne Ahmari @ahmarilab.bsky.social · 25d

Tech check complete! 🎤

So excited for the @onemindorg.bsky.social Science and Music Festival keynote tomorrow! 🧠💗

Susanne Ahmari @ahmarilab.bsky.social · 26d

So excited for the first ever @onemindorg.bsky.social Summit on the Future of Mental Health Research! Led by brilliant CSO Dr. Tahilia Rebello to accelerate big ideas to impact 🧠💪🏼🧪

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Susanne Ahmari @ahmarilab.bsky.social · 27d

Lolol actually much lower- coming in for a landing…

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Nicole Rust @nicolecrust.bsky.social · Sep 5

My new essay for @thetransmitter.bsky.social. Why is understanding emotion so challenging? The debates around what counts as an "emotion" shed insight.

These disputes are multidimensional, principled and fascinating. Here, I unpack them.

www.thetransmitter.org/the-big-pict...

Emotion research has a communication conundrum

In 2025, the words we use to describe emotions matter, but their definitions are controversial. Here, I unpack the different positions in this space and the rationales behind them—and I invite 13…

www.thetransmitter.org

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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · Jul 15

A discussion of the use of animals in research.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSvk...

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(Warning: Rant coming)

Director’s Desk: The Future of Animal Models in Research | NIH’s Dr. Nicole Kleinstreuer

YouTube video by National Institutes of Health (NIH)

www.youtube.com

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Susanne Ahmari @ahmarilab.bsky.social · Jul 16

Outside of @cmu.edu Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit www.cmu.edu/work-that-ma....

One example:

🗣️"What do you think the $90B from industry is for?"

(note: the answer is, Not Science: $50B to develop data centers/ natural gas plants; $3 billion to modernize hydropower, etc).

Energy & Innovation

www.cmu.edu

Susanne Ahmari @ahmarilab.bsky.social · Jul 15

It’s wild how even the most innocuous, theoretically uncontroversial message can still get you yelled at👩🏻‍🔬🧪

especially when it’s by people attending an AI conference that should theoretically like science…🧐

Scientist holding a sign that says ‘Innovation Drives Our Nation- Fund Science’

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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · Jul 15

Update on funding curves and late non-competitive renewals.

First, funding curves for new and competitive renewals.

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Graph showing NIH funding for new and competitive renewal grants for fiscal year 2025 compared to fiscal year 2024. The fiscal year 2025 curve is substantially below the fiscal year 2024 curve.

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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · Jul 15

New Boston Globe story about NIH funding and its impacts

www.bostonglobe.com/2025/07/14/b...

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Today’s basic science is tomorrow’s game-changing invention. Trump’s cuts threaten both. - The Boston Globe

Thirty years is often how long science takes to mature from a cool discovery to something that is life-changing. But researchers worry those discoveries are about to come to a screeching halt.

www.bostonglobe.com

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Susanne Ahmari @ahmarilab.bsky.social · Jul 12

🚨Comment by JULY 14th!!!!!🚨

Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · Jul 12

Here is a good link to watch the meeting and COMMENT

www.fda.gov/news-events/...

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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · Jul 12

IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT

Please watch the workshop video and COMMENT by 5:00 Monday 7/14

This is the source of the "no more model organism only grants in NIH-funded research" decree.

@LaBonneLaB @labonnelab.bsky.social · Jul 11

Dear all, PLEASE add comments on the importance of model organism research at this link:

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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · Jul 6

New story up on STAT this morning...

www.statnews.com/2025/07/06/h...

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HHS devises legal playbook for future grant terminations, internal memo shows

Exclusive: HHS devises a legal playbook for future research grant terminations, an internal memo shows.

www.statnews.com

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Dr. Rabbithole @drrabbithole.bsky.social · Jul 6

A science fair of cancelled grants. The research that will be represented at this event (Tuesday) ranges from neuroscience, to astrophysics, to STEM education. The awarding agencies of the now-canceled grants include the EPA, DHS, NIH, NSF, USAID, and DOD. Open to the public.

Congressional Event: A Science Fair of Canceled Grants

The Things We’ll Never Know: A Science Fair of Canceled Grants.

nasawatch.com

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Susanne Ahmari @ahmarilab.bsky.social · Jun 21

🚨Only a few hours left to leave a public comment re: RFK Jr. and Trump administration limiting access to vaccines through the CDC!!!

Public Comment at CDC is open until June 20th at 11:59pm EDT.

peoplescdc.substack.com/p/rfk-jr-and...

RFK Jr. and Trump Administration is Limiting Access to Vaccines. Tell them by Friday, June 20, Everyone Must Have Access

Public Comment at the CDC is open until June 20th at 11:59pm EDT.

peoplescdc.substack.com

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Stand Up for Science! @standupforscience.bsky.social · Jun 9

"It's a horror show. We're under attack in every way all the time," says Sarah Kobrin, who has worked at the National Cancer Institute for more than 21 years. "We're told we're worthless. We're told we're cheats.… They're breaking things that won't be repairable."

www.npr.org/sections/sho...

NIH scientists call on director to protect biomedical research

In a public letter, hundreds of scientists expressed their dissent to the Trump administration's policies affecting the National Institutes of Health and called on its director to support the agency.

www.npr.org

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Alt NIH Bluesky 🧪 @altnih4science.bsky.social · Jun 9

Look at that little tiny red bar for May 2025.

That's the illegal rescission/impoundment of Congressionally appropriated funds, shown graphically.

3900 grants that DOGE has killed in May. Trump is killing American science and ending disease cures. Come out to protests June 14th, everyone.

Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · Jun 9

If you weren't angry enough already, here are the rates of non-competitive renewals through May.

4008 Non-competitive renewals were due to be funded in May.

The total funded was 99!

Some is due to terminations, but most is due to slow grant making due to DOGE review and other impediments.

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Alt NIH Bluesky 🧪 @altnih4science.bsky.social · Jun 9

“We urge you as NIH Director to restore grants delayed or terminated for political reasons so that life-saving science can continue.”

Over one hundred NIH employees publish a letter of dissent to Trump administration attacks on medical research, the “Bethesda Declaration.” 🧪

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Dr. Rabbithole @drrabbithole.bsky.social · Jun 9

Those of you asking what you can do to help save medical research - please sign the support letter to the #BethesdaDeclaration and share it widely.

What is happening is not normal. Every name helps.

actionnetwork.org/forms/add-na...

ADD YOUR NAME: Sign the Open Letter in Support of NIH Staff

Join the courageous and committed National Institutes of Health (NIH) public servants by adding your name now.

actionnetwork.org

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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · Jun 9

Boston Globe story about #BethesdaDeclaration is up...

www.bostonglobe.com/2025/06/09/m...

‘Unrecognizable and highly toxic’: NIH staffers speak out ahead of Senate hearing on budget cuts - The Boston Globe

More than 300 staffers signed a letter to the NIH director urging him to stop politically motivated cuts to research grants.

www.bostonglobe.com

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Susanne Ahmari @ahmarilab.bsky.social · Jun 3

Incredible morning of science- plus awesome use of an actual chalkboard for the agenda! #OldSchool

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Susanne Ahmari @ahmarilab.bsky.social · Jun 3

Had the good fortune to run into the amazing @cate-cholamine.bsky.social during Conte Center meeting break! @princetonneuro.bsky.social

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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · Jun 2

Indiana's governor fired all the elected members of Indiana University's Board of Trustees. Given a recent policy change, he'll be able to fill those seats with appointees. Which means he'll basically have unilateral control over IU decisions, including who gets hired, tenured, and fired.

FB post from BoT member Vivian Wilson, with a photo of a letter she received from Gov. Mike Braun, informing her, in one sentence, that she has been removed from her position effective immediately.

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Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · Jun 2

RFK Jr says autism research is a priority, and that he wants to find the cause of the condition by September.

He's also overseen a 26% cut to autism research at NIH, per @disabilityscoop.bsky.social.

NIH Autism Research Funding Down 26% Under Trump, Analysis Shows

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says he wants to get to the bottom of surging autism rates, but a new analysis finds that the Trump administration has cut funding for such research by double digit...

www.disabilityscoop.com

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Susanne Ahmari @ahmarilab.bsky.social · Jun 3

Excited for a day dedicated to amazing science! Very happy to be on the external advisory board for @princetonneuro.bsky.social Latent Cause Inference Conte Center 🧠

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Outbursts Of Everett True @everetttrue.bsky.social · Apr 15

The Omaha Daily News
March 05,1915

OUTBURSTS OF EVERETT TRUE

THERE YOU ARE!
YOU LOSE YOUR BET!
THERE IT IS IN BLACK AND WHITE!

I DON'T CARE WHAT THAT OR ANY OTHER BOOK SAYS —
I KNOw I'M RIGHT!

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