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Sara Reardon

@sarareardon.bsky.social

410 followers 590 following 15 posts

Science journalist covering all things wild and wonderful. '25-26 Knight Science Journalism fellow. Alum @science.org‬, @Nature.com, @NewScientist.com 🧠 🧬 ⚖️ 🐒 🏳️‍🌈 🦠 🔬 🏛 👩‍🔬 Signal: sara_reardon.59

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Sara Reardon @sarareardon.bsky.social · Jun 17

Octopuses "taste" microbes in the environment using special receptors on their suckers, allowing them to protect themselves and their eggs from disease. My 🐙 story for @science.org www.science.org/content/arti...

‘Truly amazing’: Octopuses ‘taste’ harmful microbes with their suckers

Unique ability allows the animals to protect themselves and their offspring from decaying food and other material

www.science.org

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Sara Reardon @sarareardon.bsky.social · Jun 16

"Have we no shame?” District judge William Young ruled that NIH must restore some cancelled grants, then berated the administration for the racial and gender discrimination behind the terminations. Now we wait for his full ruling -- and a likely appeal. @science.org www.science.org/content/arti...

Judge orders NIH to restore hundreds of grants cut under Trump

William Young calls terminations illegal, berates agency for discrimination

www.science.org

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Sara Reardon @sarareardon.bsky.social · Jun 12

Could Monday's court hearing result in hundreds of cancelled NIH grants being restored? Here's what we know so far -- and what's at stake. @science.org www.science.org/content/arti...

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Sara Reardon @sarareardon.bsky.social · May 8

An AI model tried its best to predict the next #pope, but there's just not enough data about the secretive #conclave process. My story in @science.org www.science.org/content/arti...

AI predicted the next pope. Did it get it right?

Researchers use algorithms to study political factions within the Catholic Church

www.science.org

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Sara Reardon @sarareardon.bsky.social · Apr 29

More therapy dogs at conferences, please!

ARRALYZE @arralyze.bsky.social · Apr 29

We hope you’re making some high-value connections at AACR, because we sure are!
This one’s got a great nose for innovation 😉❤️

Thanks @theaacr.bsky.social for bringing us together!

#AACR2025 #NextGenNetworking

A photo of a business card of a australian shepherd called Nani

The australien shepherd dog Nani looking happy into the camera while being pet by people

Sara Reardon @sarareardon.bsky.social · Apr 25

Never had to write [sic] that many times

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Sara Reardon @sarareardon.bsky.social · Apr 25

I love how my transcription software, MacWhisper, faithfully transcribes my space heater and dog commands when I forget to turn the recorder off. (It's a great program tho and @jordi.bsky.social seems like a cool guy)

Sara Reardon @sarareardon.bsky.social · Apr 18

The NIH is now halting ALL funds to Harvard and other universities, but grant managers can't tell them about it. So we at @sciencemag.org did instead. www.science.org/content/arti...

NIH freezes funds to Harvard and four other universities, but can’t tell them

Move follows broader White House attack on Harvard funding and stop-work orders to contractors

www.science.org

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Sara Reardon @sarareardon.bsky.social · Apr 3

The NINDS scientists fired in the RIF are back at work - for now - after a "coding error" led to their accidental termination. HHS blames "broken systems left to us by the Biden administration." My story @science.org www.science.org/content/arti...

After ‘coding error’ triggers firings, top NIH scientists called back to work

Neuroscience institutes tells 10 scientists placed on leave it’s working on a “long-term” solution to officially reinstating them

www.science.org

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Sara Reardon @sarareardon.bsky.social · Apr 2

"It’s kind of a textbook case of arbitrary and capricious.” A lawsuit alleges that NIH didn't follow proper procedure and was unconstitutionally vague when abruptly terminating >600 grants. My story @science.org www.science.org/content/arti...

Lawsuit aims to overturn many NIH grant terminations

Multiple groups and NIH-funded scientists challenge agency’s decision as arbitrary and capricious

www.science.org

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Sara Reardon @sarareardon.bsky.social · Apr 1

One high level HHS official shown the door told @science.org, “I couldn’t have worked with these asshats anyway.”

www.science.org/content/arti...

Trump administration purges U.S. health agency leaders

Reassignment letters come as reductions in force begin at NIH, FDA, and CDC

www.science.org

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Reposted by Sara Reardon

Dave Levitan @davelevitan.bsky.social · Apr 1

From a source at NIH who survived today's 1300 or so firings:

"Today has sucked big ass donkey balls."

'Bloodbath' at NIH and Elsewhere at HHS Begins

Splinter is your home for news and opinions that challenge power in our political and economic system that's becoming more unhinged each and every day.

www.splinter.com

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Sara Reardon @sarareardon.bsky.social · Mar 31

"We spent all this money on this research and we’re not even going to be able to give taxpayers the outcomes." DOGE's cuts to NIH grants may save money on paper, but terminating studies without notice ultimately wastes money, our analysis shows. @science.org www.science.org/content/arti...

Are terminations of NIH grants wasting billions of taxpayer dollars?

DOGE argues killing grants saves money, but a Science analysis suggests more than $1.4 billion in sunk research costs may produce few results

www.science.org

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Sara Reardon @sarareardon.bsky.social · Mar 24

They cite a statute that says they can legally cancel grants that "no longer effectuate program goals or agency priorities," which aren't all that well defined. Here's an example of a letter. bsky.app/profile/davi...

Dr. David Miller 🏳️‍🌈 @davidimiller.bsky.social · Mar 18

1/9 In recent grant terminations, you might have seen vague justifications about “no longer effectuates agency priorities” (NIH example below).

Where did that language come from and what does it mean?

BUCKLE UP for a wild ride starting from **8 years ago** 🧵

Excerpt from an NIH grant termination letter that includes, "This award no longer effectuates agency priorities."

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Sara Reardon @sarareardon.bsky.social · Mar 22

Exclusive from me and Jon Cohen @science.org: NIH is terminating nearly 1000 grants in a series of batches. One, which conducts HIV and TB clinical trials in South Africa, was labelled as a "DEI" study that "harms the health of Americans." www.science.org/content/arti...

“Orchestrated assault”: New tsunami of NIH grant cuts hits South Africa hard

Agency moves to terminate nearly 1000 awards, including programs involving “DEI”

www.science.org

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Sara Reardon @sarareardon.bsky.social · Mar 11

The NIH is cancelling dozens of grants involving vaccines, including a project that studied whether the COVID vax is safe for breastfeeding mothers. mRNA vaccine research is next on the chopping block. Story @science.org www.science.org/content/arti...

NIH to ax grants on vaccine hesitancy, mRNA vaccines

Move reflects vaccine skepticism of health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

www.science.org

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