Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Ruth Schneider

The New York Times @nytimes.com · 20d

Breaking News: A U.S. vaccine panel voted to limit the use of a combination measles, mumps, rubella and varicella shot for children under 4.

RFK Jr.’s Vaccine Committee to Vote on Hepatitis B and Covid Shots

The members voted against the combination shot for measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox. Guidelines on vaccines given separately to prevent those infections remain unchanged.

nyti.ms

52 32 72

Reposted by Ruth Schneider

Dr. Lucky Tran @luckytran.com · 20d

IT'S OFFICIAL: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York State, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and New York City have formed the Northeast Public Health Collaborative.

The collaborative will issue their own vaccine recommendations and coordinate public health efforts.

Map of Regional Public Health Coalitions

Northeast Public Health Collaborative (Blue)

West Coast Health Alliance (Yellow)

860 6.9K 23K

Reposted by Ruth Schneider

Liam McHugh-Russell @xntl.bsky.social · 29d

If *your department head and your dean* can be removed for supporting your colleague in teaching in their area of expertise, then you have no academic freedom. In a functional sense, you don't work at a university at all.

Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 29d

Faculty in red states are being punished for failing to signal in their course descriptions that their classes will include content on "gender ideology."

Remind me again which party was appalled by idea of "trigger warnings"?

www.kbtx.com/2025/09/09/a...

A&M Dean removed following student complaints over curriculum

The Department of Justice has also acknowledged the situation and said it would be investigating.

www.kbtx.com

40 1K 3.2K

Reposted by Ruth Schneider

Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · Aug 15

Fierce Biotech story about the "priorities" memo

www.fiercebiotech.com/research/nih...

1/4

NIH chief calls for immediate research review, dangling threat of project termination

Jayanta Bhattacharya, M.D., Ph.D., director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has called on the agency’s scientific leadership to immediately review all of their current and planned resea | ...

www.fiercebiotech.com

2 19 34

Reposted by Ruth Schneider

Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · Aug 15

Here is the document. This is what is known.

www.nih.gov/about-nih/ni...

1 10 13

Reposted by Ruth Schneider

Katie Mack @astrokatie.com · Aug 5

Every reputable expert I know considers mRNA vaccine technology to be one of the most revolutionary advances in medicine in our lifetimes. Its inventors won the Nobel Prize in 2023. Shutting it down now is pointless self-harm to humanity.

Eric Michael Garcia @ericmgarcia.bsky.social · Aug 5

Release from HHS: HHS will wind down its development of the mRNA vaccine development activities under the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).

HHS Winds Down mRNA Vaccine Development Under BARDA

WASHINGTON, DC—AUGUST 5, 2025—The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced the beginning of a coordinated wind-down of its mRNA vaccine development activities under the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), including the cancellation and de-scoping of various contracts and solicitations. The decision follows a comprehensive review of mRNA-related investments initiated during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

“We reviewed the science, listened to the experts, and acted,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “BARDA is terminating 22 mRNA vaccine development investments because the data show these vaccines fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu. We’re shifting that funding toward safer, broader vaccine platforms that remain effective even as viruses mutate.”

550 6.8K 18K

Reposted by Ruth Schneider

Brittany Charlton @britshmit.bsky.social · Jun 16

📢BREAKING: Just left the courthouse for our NIH grant termination case

Judge ruled terminations are “VOID & ILLEGAL”

As a plaintiff, I felt a wave of relief & hope; he acknowledged the discrimination & harm

Closed by asking, ‘Have we fallen so low? Have we no shame?’

86 1.3K 5.9K

Reposted by Ruth Schneider

Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · Jun 16

An NIH staffer reacts to today's ruling:
"I'm looking forward to the day that we are so slammed with work trying to reinstate everything that we had to terminate illegally — I'll work 24/7 to make that happen if I can."

Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · Jun 16

🚨 BREAKING: Nearly 4 months the NIH cut its first grants, a judge has ruled that the directives and process that led to cuts are arbitrary and capricious.

"The explanations are bereft of reasoning — virtually in their entirety... unsupported by [facts]."

Each of them are VOID and ILLEGAL, he says.

9 300 1.1K

Reposted by Ruth Schneider

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

🚨BREAKING: 300+ NIH employees call out the harm of censorship & politicized science in scathing email to Bhattacharya, demanding an end to political interference, a lift on funding freezes, & rehiring of fired staff whose work saves lives.

This is historic - insiders are blowing the whistle.
🧵(1/5)

Front-page-style graphic titled “BREAKING NEWS” with photos of RFK Jr. and Dr. Bhattacharya in front of a government hearing chamber. Text reads: “NIH Scientists Sound the Alarm as Health Research Faces Historic Threat” and “NIH Employees Send Trump Cronies Scathing Wake-Up Call.”

40 1.4K 4.4K

Reposted by Ruth Schneider

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · Jun 10

Durbin to Bhattacharya: "I can't understand it. I disagree w/ this admin on so many things. But this is the one that really gets to me personally. To think this nation would walk away from medical research. For God's sake...cancer, your budget requests a 38% cut to the National Cancer Institute"

510 5.6K 17K

Reposted by Ruth Schneider

Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · Jun 4

New powerful article up in the New York Times on cancelled and delayed grants

www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Here Are the Nearly 2,500 Medical Research Grants Canceled or Delayed by Trump (Gift Article)

Some cuts have been starkly visible, but the country’s medical grant-making machinery has also radically transformed outside the public eye.

www.nytimes.com

11 210 300

Reposted by Ruth Schneider

Daniel Aldrich @danielaldrich.bsky.social · Jun 3

Making America poorer again: each US $1 million invested by the NIH in health research generates about $2.5 million in economic activity. NIH funding produced $94 billion in new economic activity and supported more than 400,000 jobs in 2024 alone. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

NIH indirect cost cuts will affect the economy and employment - Nature Human Behaviour

Nature Human Behaviour - NIH indirect cost cuts will affect the economy and employment

www.nature.com

2 57 78

Reposted by Ruth Schneider

Eric Topol @erictopol.bsky.social · May 30

"If the proposal is enacted, Americans today and tomorrow will be sicker, poorer, and die younger”
an $18 Billion cut
Only 3 NIH Institutes will remain in place, and even they will have their funds markedly reduced
www.statnews.com/2025/05/30/n...

27 380 730

Reposted by Ruth Schneider

Eric Topol @erictopol.bsky.social · May 30

"Our calculations suggest that the proposed budgetary cuts to the NIH will create a social cost that is 16 times greater than the savings that the administration is attempting to achieve."
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Cutting the NIH—The $8 Trillion Health Care Catastrophe

This JAMA Forum discusses the recent budget cuts to National Institutes of Health (NIH), the effects of these cuts on scientific research and health of individuals in the US, and the prospects for cha...

jamanetwork.com

11 290 470

Reposted by Ruth Schneider

Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · May 28

New story up in Nature from @maxkozlov.bsky.social

NIH killed grants on orders from Elon Musk’s DOGE

Court documents and internal correspondence show the cost-cutting force has broad control over the world’s largest public biomedical funder.

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

www.nature.com

1 66 91

Reposted by Ruth Schneider

ACLU @aclu.org · May 22

BREAKING: The House of Representatives just passed a bill that will cut billions of dollars from Medicaid.

Medicaid is a lifeline for millions of people across the country, including more than 15 million people with disabilities. The Senate must reject this dangerous bill.

170 1.6K 4.4K

Reposted by Ruth Schneider

Scott Delaney @scott-delaney.bsky.social · May 20

⛔️ Big NIH update:

We just learned of 726 more NIH grants that were terminated sometime over the past 2 months.

A huge number of diversity supps, diversity F31s, and diversity training grants. See below ⤵️

View them here: grant-watch.us/nih-data.html

h/t to @noamross.net for processing them.

5 100 180

Reposted by Ruth Schneider

Max Kozlov @maxkozlov.bsky.social · May 21

Who's calling the shots at NIH?

Sworn testimonies and internal e-mails reveal for the first time the breadth of DOGE's control over the world's largest public biomedical funder.

DOGE has provided lists of hundreds of grants to cut, and DOGE is now reviewing ALL NIH awards before they're released

NIH killed grants on orders from Elon Musk’s DOGE

Court documents and internal correspondence show the cost-cutting force has broad control over the world’s largest public biomedical funder.

www.nature.com

13 220 310

Ruth Schneider @ruthschneider.bsky.social · May 22

Check out our new publication examining long-term outcomes among people with Parkinson’s disease who experience minor phenomena (minor hallucinations)! Should we be screening for these symptoms in clinic? movementdisorders.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Long‐Term Outcomes in a Parkinson's Disease Minor Phenomena Cohort

Background Minor phenomena, including illusions, feeling of presence, and passage hallucinations, are common in Parkinson's disease (PD) and may be a risk factor for the development of psychosis (ha.....

movementdisorders.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

1 3

Reposted by Ruth Schneider

Richard Van Noorden @richvn.bsky.social · May 2

Trump proposes unprecedented budget cuts for US science in next fiscal year
NASA cut by 24%
NIH cut by 40%
EPA cut by 55%
NSF cut by 56%
Analysis from @maxkozlov.bsky.social @dangaristo.bsky.social @alexwitze.bsky.social and @nature.com team
www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Trump proposes unprecedented budget cuts to US science

Huge reductions, if enacted, could have ‘catastrophic’ effects on US competitiveness and the scientific pipeline, critics say.

www.nature.com

19 200 240

Ruth Schneider @ruthschneider.bsky.social · May 3

Join the University of Rochester Huntington’s disease team on Saturday, May 17th for the Team Hope Walk at Roberts Wesleyan! Check it out here: northeast.hdsa.org/events/2025-...

1 1

Reposted by Ruth Schneider

Dr. David Miller 🏳️‍🌈 @davidimiller.bsky.social · May 2

I am so heartened to this seriously AWESOME #SaveNSF website go up today!!!!

Has a take action toolkit with:

1. Press outreach templates
2. Social media toolkit
3. Elected official outreach
4. Talking points

Check it out and share widely!!!! Likely more to come.

www.savensf.com

Welcome to Save The U.S. National Science Foundation
A Girl Looking at a Physics Model
TAKE ACTION
Save NSF is a coalition of concerned scientists and allies who are working to save funding for scientific grants through the U.S. National Science Foundation.

Our mission is to support and advocate for the continuation of vital research and innovation in various scientific fields. NSF funding is critical to this work.

Join us in our endeavor to ensure a sustainable future for scientific exploration and discovery.

9 420 600

Reposted by Ruth Schneider

Dr. Suzanne Le Menestrel @drsl.bsky.social · May 2

The Spencer Foundation is offering rapid response bridge funding for those who lost NSF research grants.

www.spencer.org/grant_types/...

Rapid Response Bridge Funding Program

In the face of recent abrupt shifts in federal funding for education research, including large-scale terminations of National Science Foundation (NSF) research grant awards, we have developed a rap...

www.spencer.org

4 510 620

Reposted by Ruth Schneider

NPR @npr.org · May 2

The National Science Foundation, a major government funder of basic science research, is being shaken up with over 1,000 grants already terminated and the White House looking to halve its budget.

Scientists reel as turmoil roils National Science Foundation

The National Science Foundation, a major government funder of basic science research, is being shaken up with over 1,000 grants already terminated and the White House looking to halve its budget

www.npr.org

200 1.4K 3.2K

Reposted by Ruth Schneider

David Malakoff @davidmalakoff.bsky.social · May 2

“The third time is not a charm; rather, it is disaster in the making for American science & technology and our nation’s continuing competitiveness. Thankfully, the courts have thus far prevented earlier attempts to implement such ill-advised policies.” www.science.org/content/arti...

NSF becomes third U.S. science agency to propose smaller overhead payments to universities

Courts have blocked attempts by NIH and DOE to impose a flat 15% rate for reimbursement

www.science.org

1 21 57