An image taken outside of a tree with pink blossoms. The blossoms have fallen off and are covering the road, sidewalk, bush, and the car with a broken bumper that is next to that tree

🌸

DOGGETT: Doesn't your budget propose another 12% cut for NIH?

VOUGHT: Most of what you said is untrue. NIH was not cut at all--

D: My Q is don't you propose another 12% cut?

VOUGHT: We propose a cut

D: Is it your feeling that we just can't afford to invest more in doing something about cancer?

Quantum Technology: A Double Edged Sword for Science Diplomacy | Scientist Network for Advancing Policy (SNAP) Coalition SNAPpers Andrew Mattson and Youssef El Gharably discussed science diplomacy from the perspective of Quantum Technology for Science Policy in a SNAP!

Great piece from fellow @snapcoalition.org members Andrew Mattson and Youssef El Gharably on quantum technology www.linkedin.com/posts/snapco...

Building a Science Worth Appreciating Or: National Science Appreciation Day, and How We Can Make it More Fun Next Year

New @snapcoalition.bsky.social post for science appreciation day :) medium.com/science-poli...

A graphic showing the new blog post, entitled “The Lab Bench under Fascism” was published on Medium.

Original illustration by @emmascales.bsky.social for the blog post. It’s a moody picture in varying shades of red. Scientists working at lab benches with glassware are surrounded by blood vessel looking vines that pump things away from the experiments and scientists themselves.

It’s #blog post day!

SNAPper Emma Scales (@emmascales.bsky.social) asks us to recognize patterns in science & #scipol that lead to compliance with & progression of #fascism.
What must change to avoid repeating history? 🤔

TW: genocide, racism, murder
Read on Medium: medium.com/science-poli...

NIH FFS: The Freedom From Science Lab Leak Lecture Series The NIH Director invited a conspiracy theorist to present his evidence-free,views on how the pandemic started. So I brought my co-conspirators to set them straight.

Highly recommend watching open.substack.com/live-stream/... if you are interested in a scientific discussion of the origin of COVID-19 and some of the politics about pushing particular narratives.

A chart that shows the cost of the first week of the Iran war relative to other government agencies. The week total of $11.3 billion was less than the fiscal year budget for NASA, but more than the CDC, the EPA, the National Science Foundation and the National Cancer Institute

In just the first week of its military assault on Iran, the US spent $11.3bn for American taxpayer-funded bombs that caused hundreds of deaths.

The figure does not capture the full cost of the conflict, such as deployment of forces, and will now be far higher given the ongoing nature of the war.

The Appropriations Rollercoaster: Which Sciences Won and Lost? Written by SNAP members Brendon Davis and Becca Blyn

It’s #blog post day!

SNAP members Brendon Davis (@bdavisbio.bsky.social) & Becca Blyn talk about the 🧪🔬 science programs 🔭🛰️ most impacted by the rollercoaster 🎢 of #FederalFunding in 2026, and wonder what awaits us in 2027. 🤔

Give it a read on Medium: medium.com/science-poli...

OPINION: We need to expand research experience for college students to HBCUs, regional public universities and community colleges If we want a scientific workforce capable of addressing the challenges we face, we must invest in scientists long before they become scientists. That means expanding research opportunities, supporting...

🧪 Pathways for future scientists are becoming scarce, threatening a strong and innovative workforce: “We are not simply shrinking budgets. We are shrinking who gets to imagine themselves in science at all.” @jpflores.rbind.io hechingerreport.org/opinion-path...

A flyer for a workshop on effective science communication and how to counter dis- and misinformation. The flyer displays the relevant meeting information and a QR code to register for the workshop.

Join us, Science for Georgia, & Coalition of Athens Scientists on March 24th for a workshop on effective communication & countering #misinformation, with Dr. Michael Czajkowski. Workshop is open to the public - please share with other #scipol groups!
Register here: tinyurl.com/RSVPSNAPCOAS

Thank u for keeping track:) r there ways to track awards by state or by congressional district?

Why Investing in Science Is a Lifesaving Choice for Miami Growing up in the shadows of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), I’ve always been inspired by the leaps in medical research.

So proud of my graduate student @brandonleon95.bsky.social for discussing the importance of science funding for our community!

medium.com/scitech-fore...

The ‘silent’ brain cells that shape our behaviour, memory and health Astrocytes make up one-quarter of the brain, but researchers are only now realizing their true value.

Astrocytes make up one-quarter of the brain. Nature reports how researchers are learning their value in shaping our behaviour, memory, and health. #Neuroskyence 🧪

💡 Research Spotlight: GPCR signaling in astrocytes gates their response to neurotransmitters, tuning neuronal activity and shaping behavior. Conserved across species, this shows astrocytes actively regulate brain circuits.

Read more 👇
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adq5729

Read about what the Scientist Network for Advancing Policy has been up to and how we support early-career scientists in policy advocacy and community engagement efforts!

I have been trying to get this published as an op-ed, but I am going to post it here since I think it is timely in light of the "consent" extortion events.

Deafening Quiet from the Scientific Establishment

jeremymberg.github.io/jeremyberg.g...

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Opinion | Trump’s ‘Compact’ With Universities Is Just Extortion

Hear! effing Hear!

[Gift link]

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/o...

Trump attacks 9 universities: Sign the alumni petition to defend your school now Are you an alum outraged by Trump's attacks on universities? Defend your school now by signing this alumni petition in support of these 9 universities as well as campus communities across America.

Are you an alum outraged by Trump's attacks on universities? Defend your school now by signing this alumni petition in support of these 9 universities as well as campus communities across America. alumni.controlshift.app/petitions/tr...

#VascularCalcification

#Glutaminase1 (GLS1)-derived Glutamate drives #SmoothMuscleCell #Osteogenesis via NMDAR (▶️Ca2+/β-at), not AMPAR, mGlu

Both GLS1 & NMDAR ⏫in 👤calcified arteries #CKD

BPTES (GLS1i)⏬🐭arterial calcification (VitD3)

#AdvSci 2025
advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

With boost to NIH budget, Senate panel rejects Trump’s plan to slash agency Republicans on spending committee push back against proposed reorganization and overhead cuts

The National Institutes of Health’s budget, and structure, would be preserved under a Senate bill for the 2026 fiscal year.

Some potential policy requests you could make:

1️⃣ NO cuts to NIH budget for next year

2️⃣ Protective measures to ensure appropriated funds are spent as intended (see post below)

3️⃣ Any changes to multi-year funding must come with increased temporary $ support from Congress

Remodeling of the immune-metabolic landscape triggered by long-term high-altitude exposure www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.07....

Mast cells regulate the brain-dura interface and CSF dynamics Dural mast cells control cerebrospinal fluid dynamics at critical brain-dura interfaces, specifically arachnoid cuff exit points. Their activation limits pathogen brain entry via histamine-induced vas...

Mast cells regulate the brain-dura interface and CSF dynamics @cellpress.bsky.social www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...

Dynamic extracellular interactions with AMPA receptors www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.07....

So important

Please add me!

Astrocyte-secreted cues promote neural maturation and augment activity in human forebrain organoids | Nature Communications Brain organoids have been proposed as suitable human brain model candidates for a variety of applications. However, the lack of appropriate maturation limits the transferability of such functional tools. Here, we present a method to facilitate neuronal maturation by integrating astrocyte-secreted factors into hPSC-derived 2D and 3D neural culture systems. We demonstrate that protein- and nutrient-enriched astrocyte-conditioned medium (ACM) accelerates neuronal differentiation with enlarged neuronal layer and the overproduction of deep-layer cortical neurons. We captured the elevated changes in the functional activity of neuronal networks within ACM-treated organoids using comprehensive electrophysiological recordings. Furthermore, astrocyte-secreted cues can induce lipid droplet accumulation in neural cultures, offering protective effects in neural differentiation to withstand cellular stress. Together, these data indicate the potential of astrocyte secretions to promote neural maturat

Astrocyte cues boost neuron maturity in forebrain organoids, thanks to protein and nutrient-rich medium. From 2D to 3D cultures, neurons mature faster! PMID:40122897, Nat Commun 2025, @NatureComms https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-58295-3 #Medsky #Pharmsky #RNA #ASHG #ESHG 🧪

Former Prep scholar. I wouldn’t be the scientist I am without those 2 years I spent in my former lab. I feel bad for those will lost out on the experience