JR
@jr5474.bsky.social
Biophysical chemist working in medical communications.
Opinions are my own.
Opinions are my own.
Pinned
JR
@jr5474.bsky.social
· Nov 9
Dynamics underlie the drug recognition mechanism by the efflux transporter EmrE
Nature Communications - Here, the authors reveal the protonation of a single membrane embedded glutamate residue within the homodimer of the efflux transporter EmrE modulates the structure and...
rdcu.be
From a few months ago, but it deserves a post. This paper (Li, Sae Her, Besch, et al) caps >10 years of work on the membrane transporter EmrE and combines numerous biophysical methods to better understand the protein structure and dynamics responsible for drug binding and transport
rdcu.be/dZFMI
rdcu.be/dZFMI
Reposted by JR
A C-list anti-vaxxer wanted to know if I was really stupid enough to believe that vaccines work by preventing disease, not infection. Yes, if “stupid” means 200 years of evidence
History class is in session. Do you know why vaccines are called vaccines?
rasmussenretorts.substack.com/p/how-vaccin...
History class is in session. Do you know why vaccines are called vaccines?
rasmussenretorts.substack.com/p/how-vaccin...
How Vaccines Actually Work
Vaccines prevent disease, not infection, no matter how the word "vaccine" is defined
rasmussenretorts.substack.com
December 22, 2025 at 10:56 PM
A C-list anti-vaxxer wanted to know if I was really stupid enough to believe that vaccines work by preventing disease, not infection. Yes, if “stupid” means 200 years of evidence
History class is in session. Do you know why vaccines are called vaccines?
rasmussenretorts.substack.com/p/how-vaccin...
History class is in session. Do you know why vaccines are called vaccines?
rasmussenretorts.substack.com/p/how-vaccin...
Reposted by JR
the vice president is a klansman
JD Vance: "In the United States of America you don't have to apologize for being white anymore"
December 21, 2025 at 8:22 PM
the vice president is a klansman
Reposted by JR
They are not “skeptics,” they are extremist science deniers who think that some children deserve to die
US health regulators informed senior executives at Merck, Sanofi and AstraZeneca last week that their approved protective RSV treatments for infants would face fresh safety scrutiny following concerns raised by vaccine skeptics, multiple sources familiar with the situation told Reuters.
US FDA launches fresh safety scrutiny of approved RSV therapies for infants | CNN
U.S. health regulators informed senior executives at Merck, Sanofi and AstraZeneca last week that their approved protective RSV treatments for infants would face fresh safety scrutiny following concer...
www.cnn.com
December 10, 2025 at 3:57 AM
They are not “skeptics,” they are extremist science deniers who think that some children deserve to die
Reposted by JR
i think to understand the meaning of the birthright citizenship clause to the framers of the 14th amendment, you have to understand significance of dred scott to the civil war republican party. dred scott wasn't just a bad ruling, it was understood as a rejection of the declaration itself.
December 6, 2025 at 6:03 PM
i think to understand the meaning of the birthright citizenship clause to the framers of the 14th amendment, you have to understand significance of dred scott to the civil war republican party. dred scott wasn't just a bad ruling, it was understood as a rejection of the declaration itself.
Reposted by JR
dred scott, in their minds, established the united states as a place of tiered citizenship and permanent inequality among americans. it was a ruling that said, in effect, that all men *were not* created equal and would *never* be treated as such.
December 6, 2025 at 6:03 PM
dred scott, in their minds, established the united states as a place of tiered citizenship and permanent inequality among americans. it was a ruling that said, in effect, that all men *were not* created equal and would *never* be treated as such.
Reposted by JR
the birthright clause was not just written to wipe dred scott off of the books, it was written to repudiate the *idea* behind dred scott, you might say the larger *ideological project* of dred scott. and the whole of section 1 of the 14th amendment is a constitutional statement of political equality
December 6, 2025 at 6:03 PM
the birthright clause was not just written to wipe dred scott off of the books, it was written to repudiate the *idea* behind dred scott, you might say the larger *ideological project* of dred scott. and the whole of section 1 of the 14th amendment is a constitutional statement of political equality
Reposted by JR
Updated FDA org chart from BioSpace: nearly 90% of sr leaders who were at FDA a yr ago are gone. Most FDA employees are usually "career staff" who worked 4 multiple FDA commissioners & yrs of training 2b knowledgeable incl cell & gene therapies. Pazdur had worked 4 Bush, Obama,Trump & Biden #medsky
December 3, 2025 at 9:39 PM
Updated FDA org chart from BioSpace: nearly 90% of sr leaders who were at FDA a yr ago are gone. Most FDA employees are usually "career staff" who worked 4 multiple FDA commissioners & yrs of training 2b knowledgeable incl cell & gene therapies. Pazdur had worked 4 Bush, Obama,Trump & Biden #medsky
Reposted by JR
This is infuriating on so many levels, but partly because it ignores Congressional intent to penalize immigrants who followed the rules. And partly because these are people who have done nothing wrong beyond trying to negotiate a broken system.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/u...
Green Card Interviews End in Handcuffs for Spouses of U.S. Citizens
www.nytimes.com
November 30, 2025 at 10:09 PM
This is infuriating on so many levels, but partly because it ignores Congressional intent to penalize immigrants who followed the rules. And partly because these are people who have done nothing wrong beyond trying to negotiate a broken system.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/u...
Reposted by JR
sure, you might not be able to eat or go to the doctor, but check out how nice Trump's new marble shitter is
October 31, 2025 at 5:04 PM
sure, you might not be able to eat or go to the doctor, but check out how nice Trump's new marble shitter is
Reposted by JR
Lots of reporting on SNAP getting the details wrong.
SNAP is not set to run out of money on November 1. There’s money in the contingency fund to pay benefits.
The Trump admin is illegally refusing to deliver benefits on November 1, despite having funding to pay benefits.
SNAP is not set to run out of money on November 1. There’s money in the contingency fund to pay benefits.
The Trump admin is illegally refusing to deliver benefits on November 1, despite having funding to pay benefits.
October 29, 2025 at 1:34 PM
Lots of reporting on SNAP getting the details wrong.
SNAP is not set to run out of money on November 1. There’s money in the contingency fund to pay benefits.
The Trump admin is illegally refusing to deliver benefits on November 1, despite having funding to pay benefits.
SNAP is not set to run out of money on November 1. There’s money in the contingency fund to pay benefits.
The Trump admin is illegally refusing to deliver benefits on November 1, despite having funding to pay benefits.
Reposted by JR
If SNAP benefits don’t go out November 1, it’s not because of the shutdown or because SNAP ran out of money.
It’s because the Trump admin is illegally refusing to use the money in the SNAP contingency fund.
The same admin that enacted the largest cuts to SNAP in history.
It’s because the Trump admin is illegally refusing to use the money in the SNAP contingency fund.
The same admin that enacted the largest cuts to SNAP in history.
October 29, 2025 at 3:08 PM
If SNAP benefits don’t go out November 1, it’s not because of the shutdown or because SNAP ran out of money.
It’s because the Trump admin is illegally refusing to use the money in the SNAP contingency fund.
The same admin that enacted the largest cuts to SNAP in history.
It’s because the Trump admin is illegally refusing to use the money in the SNAP contingency fund.
The same admin that enacted the largest cuts to SNAP in history.
Reposted by JR
honestly the only piece worth reading on the platner situation. @tressiemcphd.bsky.social is absolutely cooking here. (gift link)
Opinion | A Nazi Tattoo Exposes Democrats’ Greatest Weakness
www.nytimes.com
October 29, 2025 at 1:36 PM
honestly the only piece worth reading on the platner situation. @tressiemcphd.bsky.social is absolutely cooking here. (gift link)
Reposted by JR
We saw the type of "reforms" Johnson has supported. His Medicaid "reforms" kicked nearly 10 million people off the program. His Obamacare "reforms" would have kicked millions off and allowed insurers to charge more for people with preexisting conditions.
He just wants to cut health care.
He just wants to cut health care.
NEW: Obamacare fight escalates as shutdown drags on
Speaker Johnson calls the expiring subsidies at issue a "boondoggle" that won't be extended in this bill—or without "real reform."
Democrats aren't budging, saying action now is urgent to avert a premium hike.
www.nbcnews.com/politics/con...
Speaker Johnson calls the expiring subsidies at issue a "boondoggle" that won't be extended in this bill—or without "real reform."
Democrats aren't budging, saying action now is urgent to avert a premium hike.
www.nbcnews.com/politics/con...
Mike Johnson slams Obamacare funds as a 'boondoggle' as shutdown drags on
Johnson also addressed conservative calls to repeal Obamacare, whose enhanced tax credits form the main dispute between the two parties that led to the funding impasse.
www.nbcnews.com
October 13, 2025 at 6:12 PM
We saw the type of "reforms" Johnson has supported. His Medicaid "reforms" kicked nearly 10 million people off the program. His Obamacare "reforms" would have kicked millions off and allowed insurers to charge more for people with preexisting conditions.
He just wants to cut health care.
He just wants to cut health care.
Reposted by JR
Good one. "Kavanaugh Stops" for when DHS officers grab US citizens on the street and detain them for anywhere from 20 minutes to a couple days, and "Kavanaugh Raids" for when DHS officers raid a worksite or apartment building and detain US citizens for hours/days while they check everyone there.
Kavanaugh Raid
October 2, 2025 at 12:26 PM
Good one. "Kavanaugh Stops" for when DHS officers grab US citizens on the street and detain them for anywhere from 20 minutes to a couple days, and "Kavanaugh Raids" for when DHS officers raid a worksite or apartment building and detain US citizens for hours/days while they check everyone there.
Reposted by JR
NEW: Judge William Young's ruling against Rubio and Noem is a lesson for all in the Trump era.
Young lays bare the unconstitutionality of the Trump administration's student deportation efforts — and issues a challenge to America.
Today, at Law Dork:
Young lays bare the unconstitutionality of the Trump administration's student deportation efforts — and issues a challenge to America.
Today, at Law Dork:
Judge William Young's ruling against Rubio and Noem is a lesson for all in the Trump era
Young lays bare the unconstitutionality of the Trump administration's student deportation efforts — and issues a challenge to America. Also: More court pushback.
www.lawdork.com
October 1, 2025 at 9:53 PM
NEW: Judge William Young's ruling against Rubio and Noem is a lesson for all in the Trump era.
Young lays bare the unconstitutionality of the Trump administration's student deportation efforts — and issues a challenge to America.
Today, at Law Dork:
Young lays bare the unconstitutionality of the Trump administration's student deportation efforts — and issues a challenge to America.
Today, at Law Dork:
Reposted by JR
On the Trump administration's cruel disbanding of the Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium: my op-ed @statnews.com
My 12-year-old son died from brain cancer. This research would have helped children like him
www.statnews.com/2025/09/15/p...
My 12-year-old son died from brain cancer. This research would have helped children like him
www.statnews.com/2025/09/15/p...
The Trump admin’s cruel disbanding of the Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium
My 12-year-old son died from brain cancer. The defunding of the Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium will deny treatments to children like him.
www.statnews.com
September 15, 2025 at 10:12 AM
On the Trump administration's cruel disbanding of the Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium: my op-ed @statnews.com
My 12-year-old son died from brain cancer. This research would have helped children like him
www.statnews.com/2025/09/15/p...
My 12-year-old son died from brain cancer. This research would have helped children like him
www.statnews.com/2025/09/15/p...
Reposted by JR
Biomedical research isn't a YouTube video, you cannot hit pause for an indefinite period of time and then hit play whenever the regime wants.
Samples are destroyed, labs dismantled, scientists leave...
Samples are destroyed, labs dismantled, scientists leave...
Here's what this means: it's probably unlawful forPOTUS to stop NIH funds from going to medical research, but POTUS can stop that medical research for a lengthy period of time while the Court of Federal Claims hears lawsuits
This, essentially, destroys the capacity for medical research in the US
This, essentially, destroys the capacity for medical research in the US
Splitting 5-4 (with Chief Justice Roberts joining the three Democratic appointees in dissent), #SCOTUS grants *partial* stay to Trump administration in NIH funding case; holds that challenges to grant terminations (but *not* the underlying guidance) need to be filed in the Court of Federal Claims:
August 21, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Biomedical research isn't a YouTube video, you cannot hit pause for an indefinite period of time and then hit play whenever the regime wants.
Samples are destroyed, labs dismantled, scientists leave...
Samples are destroyed, labs dismantled, scientists leave...
Reposted by JR
RUSSELL VOUGHT LOVES CANCER
NEW
The White House is blocking the NIH from awarding new research grants for the rest of the fiscal year
Chokes off billions in research funding
Gift link www.wsj.com/politics/pol... with @nidhisubs.bsky.social
The White House is blocking the NIH from awarding new research grants for the rest of the fiscal year
Chokes off billions in research funding
Gift link www.wsj.com/politics/pol... with @nidhisubs.bsky.social
Trump Administration Puts New Chokehold on Billions in Health-Research Funding
The National Institutes of Health can’t award grants to outside researchers under a new White House restriction.
www.wsj.com
July 30, 2025 at 1:12 AM
RUSSELL VOUGHT LOVES CANCER
Reposted by JR
They can be impeached. And, should Bove be confirmed — which he should not be — he should immediately be the subject of an impeachment inquiry should Dems retake Congress. He should not be a federal judge due to his actions at DOJ. That does not change if he is confirmed.
Of the infinite reasons Bove should be rejected, one I can't stop thinking abt. Fed judges aren't req'd to be members of a state bar. Pres can't pardon away prof'l ethics offenses. But he can give them lifetime appts that make bar licensure unnecessary. It makes his lawyers effectively undeterrable.
Justice Connection sent a letter signed by 900+ former DOJ attorneys urging the Senate Judiciary Committee to rigorously examine Emil Bove’s assault on the department and rule of law before voting on a lifetime judicial appointment.
Our full letter: bit.ly/3Ul58Ac
Our full letter: bit.ly/3Ul58Ac
July 17, 2025 at 1:05 PM
They can be impeached. And, should Bove be confirmed — which he should not be — he should immediately be the subject of an impeachment inquiry should Dems retake Congress. He should not be a federal judge due to his actions at DOJ. That does not change if he is confirmed.
Reposted by JR
A baby born to a brain dead mother: this is the horror of abortion bans | Moira Donegan
A baby born to a brain dead mother: this is the horror of abortion bans | Moira Donegan
Adriana Smith was legally dead for months, but kept on life support in Atlanta because she was pregnant
www.theguardian.com
July 8, 2025 at 11:32 AM
A baby born to a brain dead mother: this is the horror of abortion bans | Moira Donegan
Reposted by JR
As I’ve noted before, I think it is telling that “I hope you get what you voted for,” is correctly considered an insult to conservatives. If someone told that to me, I’d be like “Yeah, man. I hope I get sensible market regulations, a strengthened social safety net, and the right to shit too.”
June 29, 2025 at 12:57 PM
As I’ve noted before, I think it is telling that “I hope you get what you voted for,” is correctly considered an insult to conservatives. If someone told that to me, I’d be like “Yeah, man. I hope I get sensible market regulations, a strengthened social safety net, and the right to shit too.”
Reposted by JR
This is the Washington Post - today - describing the fact that RFK Jr. does not believe that HIV is the cause of AIDS.
It is not controversial at all. It is a fringe, extremist conspiracy based in science denial and it is objectively false.
It is not controversial at all. It is a fringe, extremist conspiracy based in science denial and it is objectively false.
June 21, 2025 at 10:51 PM
This is the Washington Post - today - describing the fact that RFK Jr. does not believe that HIV is the cause of AIDS.
It is not controversial at all. It is a fringe, extremist conspiracy based in science denial and it is objectively false.
It is not controversial at all. It is a fringe, extremist conspiracy based in science denial and it is objectively false.
Reposted by JR
I did my own research ahead of next week's ACIP meeting
rasmussenretorts.substack.com/p/meet-the-a...
rasmussenretorts.substack.com/p/meet-the-a...
Meet the Anti-Vax ACIP First Round Draft Picks of 2025!
It's MAHA fantasy season, so let's take a look at this year's rookie class. Which preventable disease will start killing children first?
rasmussenretorts.substack.com
June 19, 2025 at 12:50 PM
I did my own research ahead of next week's ACIP meeting
rasmussenretorts.substack.com/p/meet-the-a...
rasmussenretorts.substack.com/p/meet-the-a...
Reposted by JR
It will be a very hard fight to win, but it's worth it to try, because people matter.
We owe it to our family members who rely on Medicaid and SNAP. We owe it to our friends. We owe it to our neighbors. We owe it to the people we'll never meet.
We owe it to our family members who rely on Medicaid and SNAP. We owe it to our friends. We owe it to our neighbors. We owe it to the people we'll never meet.
May 22, 2025 at 12:28 PM
It will be a very hard fight to win, but it's worth it to try, because people matter.
We owe it to our family members who rely on Medicaid and SNAP. We owe it to our friends. We owe it to our neighbors. We owe it to the people we'll never meet.
We owe it to our family members who rely on Medicaid and SNAP. We owe it to our friends. We owe it to our neighbors. We owe it to the people we'll never meet.
Research grants are competitive federal contracts largely awarded after going through a peer review process, with indirect costs added to cover non-specific research expenses (eg, the electricity, hazardous waste disposal). They aren't blank checks going into university coffers.
For decades, American universities got billions in federal dollars for research. The relationship was mutually beneficial, until President Trump decided it wasn’t. Here’s a look at this relationship and how it has started to unravel. nyti.ms/4in7x7i
April 19, 2025 at 7:21 PM
Research grants are competitive federal contracts largely awarded after going through a peer review process, with indirect costs added to cover non-specific research expenses (eg, the electricity, hazardous waste disposal). They aren't blank checks going into university coffers.