Scientists invented a fake disease. AI told people it was real Bixonimania doesn’t exist except in a clutch of obviously bogus academic papers. So why did AI chatbots warn people about this fictional illness?

Bixonimania doesn’t exist except in a clutch of obviously bogus academic papers. A feature in Nature explores why AI chatbots were telling people the condition was real. #medsky 🧪

A link to the journal article: "Protein-templated synthesis of dinucleotide repeat DNA by an antiphage reverse transcriptase"
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Screenshot of Science commentary articleL Scientists stunned by ‘fundamentally new way’ life produces DNA. Newly discovered bacterial defense system challenges genetic code’s central dogma. Image: In a newly discovered bacterial defense system, paired strands of DNA (orange and cyan) are synthesized by two enzymes: One (yellow) uses an RNA template (beige) to guide the assembly of the nucleotide bases that make up DNA, while a second, highly unusual enzyme (light blue) uses its own amino acids as a template."

As a scientist, I am here to report that this headline is indeed accurate as I am in fact STUNNED!!

Wow. This is incredible. 🧪

"Newly discovered bacterial defense system challenges genetic code’s central dogma.":
www.science.org/content/arti...

FWIW, my answer to “should one mistake ruin someone’s whole career or should they get the chance to start over” depends on how bad the mistake was (how many people were harmed and how badly) and how likely they are to do it again.

idp.nature.com/authorize?re...
🧪

Bernie Sanders on Lebanon

#ethniccleansing #landgrab #warcrimes #Netanyahuisawarcriminal

They want to automatically register you for the draft, but not to vote.

Let's streamline the process to send you abroad to die for resource gathering, but complicate the process to effect change at home. This administration should be barred from ... everything.

🥴

Congrats!

A star scientist showed that better genetics lessons could reduce racism. It was the death knell for his career Brian Donovan had persuaded high school teachers and education researchers that prejudice might be ended by changing how genetics is taught.

“We’ve lost out on the ability to continue to improve this work to make it more effective, and to explore how to apply it to other areas…There are a lot of different ways that genetics has been used to justify prejudice and…that human-made social categories interface with biological categories“🧪

Glover in a Japanese lab on the ISS

In 2020-21, Glover made history as the first Black person to stay for an extended period on the International Space Station. Consider this: "As a verdict neared in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the officer accused of murdering [George] Floyd..Black astronauts called from Earth to lend..moral support."

Congratulations to the Latest Round of Faculty Members to Receive Tenure Vassar’s Dean of Faculty announced that 11 members of the Vassar faculty in 10 academic disciplines have been granted tenure this year. Get acquainted with these scholars.

Congrats again to all 11 members of the Vassar College faculty granted tenure this year (including myself ✨ ), promoted from assistant professor to associate professor!

Surreal to now be the 1st tenured black faculty in the chem department 🧪

Check out this Vassar story that profiles all of us:

Check out these incredible Vassar students at #ASBMB presenting research and connecting with scientists from across the country! Just one example of how Vassar empowers students to grow as scholars, researchers, and leaders.

A ditch in Roseland, Louisiana, seven months after an oil facility exploded here.

There was ONE ATC in the tower at LGA during last night's crash.

ONE ATC, at LGA!, dealing w ALL air and ground traffic, including a plane filling w a strange smell and no gate to return to.

The Pentagon wants $200B for a vanity war, but our ATC towers are empty.

Budgets are moral documents.

#structuralbiology #undergraduateresearch | Krystle J. McLaughlin A few weeks ago, my Vassar College undergraduate thesis student Jasmine Lowenstein ‘26 and I traveled to the NCCAT at the New York Structural Biology Center to collect cryo-EM data on one of our prote...

Recently, my undergraduate thesis student & I went to the National Center for Cryo EM Access & Training (NCCAT) to collect data.

It was a great experience & while we didn’t solve our protein structure (yet!), we both earned our Vitrobot certification ✨

#undergraduateresearch 🧪

#structuralbiology #undergraduateresearch | Krystle J. McLaughlin A few weeks ago, my Vassar College undergraduate thesis student Jasmine Lowenstein ‘26 and I traveled to the NCCAT at the New York Structural Biology Center to collect cryo-EM data on one of our prote...

Recently, my undergraduate thesis student & I went to the National Center for Cryo EM Access & Training (NCCAT) to collect data.

It was a great experience & while we didn’t solve our protein structure (yet!), we both earned our Vitrobot certification ✨

#undergraduateresearch 🧪

Smiling woman in front of campus gate at UNC Chapel Hill

Smoky woman at Genome Sciences Building at UNC Chapel Hill

Three people in front of floral mural

Blooming flowers in front of Carolina Inn sign

Got to enjoy some Carolina blue skies (and a taste of spring) this week!

Had a wonderful visit to give a seminar at UNC Chapel Hill on my lab’s research on Bacteroides ovatus polysaccharide deacetylase (BoPDA).

Loved all the energizing conversations from faculty and students! ✨ 🧪

Smiling woman in front of campus gate at UNC Chapel Hill

Smoky woman at Genome Sciences Building at UNC Chapel Hill

Three people in front of floral mural

Blooming flowers in front of Carolina Inn sign

Got to enjoy some Carolina blue skies (and a taste of spring) this week!

Had a wonderful visit to give a seminar at UNC Chapel Hill on my lab’s research on Bacteroides ovatus polysaccharide deacetylase (BoPDA).

Loved all the energizing conversations from faculty and students! ✨ 🧪

Science is under attack, and it can't defend itself. That's why we are rallying NATIONWIDE this SATURDAY, MARCH 7th to TAKE BACK OUR SCIENCE!!! Visit standupforscience.net/march7 to find your local rally, volunteer, register to host a rally or a pop-up protest!
It's time to Stand Up for Science!

AOC: He impulsively went in on Venezuela. He impulsively went in on Iran. It led to increased global instability and every time he’s done that, it has been consistent with a spike in what is happening with the Epstein files. I think that he feels existentially tied to it.

Stick chemistry: High-throughput method for finding new molecular glues. A visualization of a new molecular-glue degrader bound to cereblon and a protein target of interest.

Molecular glues are enjoying the spotlight, but discovering new ones is often a matter of luck. A new method, developed by @scripps.edu chemist @michael-erb.bsky.social and colleagues, aims to discover new glues more intentionally with a “target-based” approach. cen.acs.org/biological-c...
#chemsky🧪

This one hits hard.

Always bombing somewhere 🫩

Help power the Summer Fight For Science movement! Donate now to help mobilize the fight for science and democracy. Every contribution matters!

I just donated! Your contribution is needed ASAP to fuel this existential fight and save science in America. Donate now for today, tomorrow, and the years to come.
Rally to Take Back Our Science is on Saturday March 7th, 2026 in Washington DC.
act.standupforscience.net/fundraising/... 🧪

Make it viral.

Like those before it, that insane, vile DHS statement about the Minneapolis shooting isn't about covering anything up. It's performative lying.

They aren't trying to persuade anyone that their agents did nothing wrong. They're trying to project that their agents can get away with anything.

‘She was an amazing human being:’ Mother identifies woman shot, killed by ICE agent Renee Nicole Good, 37, lived in the Twin Cities with her partner.

"Renee was one of the kindest people I’ve ever known,” her mother said. “She was extremely compassionate. She’s taken care of people all her life. She was loving, forgiving and affectionate. She was an amazing human being.” www.startribune.com/she-was-an-a...

Members of Congress: stop posting online and APPEAR, PHYSICALLY on the steps of the Capitol to decry this unconstitutional violation of domestic & international law. SHOW THE PEOPLE the level of danger we are facing as a country.
@housedemocrats.bsky.social
@senatedemocrats.bsky.social