Abby Polter
@ampolter.bsky.social
Associate professor in Washington DC. Neuroscientist/mouse psychiatrist
Reposted by Abby Polter
"When the emphasis is placed on attitude and adaptability, the burden of systemic failure is absorbed by individual workers."
This piece on the insidious normalization of an increasingly and intentionally broken NIH is so spot on it hurts.
elizabethginexi.substack.com/p/what-happe...
This piece on the insidious normalization of an increasingly and intentionally broken NIH is so spot on it hurts.
elizabethginexi.substack.com/p/what-happe...
What Happens When Science Is Asked to Pretend This Is Normal
In our All-Hands meetings before I left NIH, our leaders were always trying to think of ways to accommodate the new leadership, pitching ideas they thought would fit the “MAHA” agenda.
elizabethginexi.substack.com
January 29, 2026 at 3:14 PM
"When the emphasis is placed on attitude and adaptability, the burden of systemic failure is absorbed by individual workers."
This piece on the insidious normalization of an increasingly and intentionally broken NIH is so spot on it hurts.
elizabethginexi.substack.com/p/what-happe...
This piece on the insidious normalization of an increasingly and intentionally broken NIH is so spot on it hurts.
elizabethginexi.substack.com/p/what-happe...
Reposted by Abby Polter
On the off-chance any attorneys in Ohio follow me: DM me and we’ll figure out how to get you trained ahead of this, but I gotta emphasize the mere fact of filing a 2241 petition (you’ll learn what this is!) makes a huge difference in what happens here, you can make difference
I know all eyes are on Minneapolis, but there's a fast-approaching nightmare in Springfield, Ohio.
Trump is revoking protected status for tens of thousands of Haitians living there on Feb. 3.
Reportedly, on Feb. 4, 1000 ICE agents are arriving to remove this population. Ethnic cleansing.
Trump is revoking protected status for tens of thousands of Haitians living there on Feb. 3.
Reportedly, on Feb. 4, 1000 ICE agents are arriving to remove this population. Ethnic cleansing.
January 29, 2026 at 12:40 AM
On the off-chance any attorneys in Ohio follow me: DM me and we’ll figure out how to get you trained ahead of this, but I gotta emphasize the mere fact of filing a 2241 petition (you’ll learn what this is!) makes a huge difference in what happens here, you can make difference
Reposted by Abby Polter
bruce wrote, recorded, and released a whole song in the time it's taking me to make like one graph
January 29, 2026 at 1:35 AM
bruce wrote, recorded, and released a whole song in the time it's taking me to make like one graph
Reposted by Abby Polter
Important. There has not been a deescalation.
January 28, 2026 at 11:33 PM
Important. There has not been a deescalation.
Reposted by Abby Polter
as long as DC is locked under 5 inches of ice and it remains impossible to get anywhere, I feel strongly that snow day rules should apply and I should not have to do anything except drink hot chocolate
January 28, 2026 at 11:47 PM
as long as DC is locked under 5 inches of ice and it remains impossible to get anywhere, I feel strongly that snow day rules should apply and I should not have to do anything except drink hot chocolate
Reposted by Abby Polter
the experiences of individuals from marginalized groups are almost ALWAYS the bellwether for weaknesses and stress points in systems. Trying to correct their experiences improves these systems FOR EVERYONE, not just them
January 28, 2026 at 4:03 PM
the experiences of individuals from marginalized groups are almost ALWAYS the bellwether for weaknesses and stress points in systems. Trying to correct their experiences improves these systems FOR EVERYONE, not just them
Reposted by Abby Polter
Comrade ... I reached out last week about my ᴘʀᴏʟᴇᴛᴀʀɪᴀɴs ᴏɴʟʏ sᴜʀᴠᴇʏ.
Are you a proud Supporter of Comrade Stalin or does the NKVD need to come and track you down?
ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴘʀᴏʟᴇᴛᴀʀɪᴀɴs ᴏɴʟʏ sᴜʀᴠᴇʏ
Are you a proud Supporter of Comrade Stalin or does the NKVD need to come and track you down?
ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴘʀᴏʟᴇᴛᴀʀɪᴀɴs ᴏɴʟʏ sᴜʀᴠᴇʏ
January 28, 2026 at 3:18 PM
Comrade ... I reached out last week about my ᴘʀᴏʟᴇᴛᴀʀɪᴀɴs ᴏɴʟʏ sᴜʀᴠᴇʏ.
Are you a proud Supporter of Comrade Stalin or does the NKVD need to come and track you down?
ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴘʀᴏʟᴇᴛᴀʀɪᴀɴs ᴏɴʟʏ sᴜʀᴠᴇʏ
Are you a proud Supporter of Comrade Stalin or does the NKVD need to come and track you down?
ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴘʀᴏʟᴇᴛᴀʀɪᴀɴs ᴏɴʟʏ sᴜʀᴠᴇʏ
Reposted by Abby Polter
Everything going on rn and the men of Europe who do science have decided to address the real problem:
yelling that everyone else is writing "too many" "unimportant" scientific papers
Point to some of these unimportant superfluous papers boys and lmk when you see the pattern of authors and/or topics
yelling that everyone else is writing "too many" "unimportant" scientific papers
Point to some of these unimportant superfluous papers boys and lmk when you see the pattern of authors and/or topics
January 28, 2026 at 2:25 PM
Everything going on rn and the men of Europe who do science have decided to address the real problem:
yelling that everyone else is writing "too many" "unimportant" scientific papers
Point to some of these unimportant superfluous papers boys and lmk when you see the pattern of authors and/or topics
yelling that everyone else is writing "too many" "unimportant" scientific papers
Point to some of these unimportant superfluous papers boys and lmk when you see the pattern of authors and/or topics
Reposted by Abby Polter
In response to announcement that he will be a new CBS contributor, Andrew Huberman tweeted “I’ve always gone issue-by-issue on health & science, spoken to experts w/a range of takes & presented where I see the center of (data) mass pointed. I’ll do the same with @CBSNews”. In Sept he posted this:
January 28, 2026 at 1:44 AM
In response to announcement that he will be a new CBS contributor, Andrew Huberman tweeted “I’ve always gone issue-by-issue on health & science, spoken to experts w/a range of takes & presented where I see the center of (data) mass pointed. I’ll do the same with @CBSNews”. In Sept he posted this:
Reposted by Abby Polter
Video from this morning shows ICE agents deploying tear gas outside a Minneapolis preschool as parents shout, “This is a preschool! There’s kids here!”
January 27, 2026 at 5:53 PM
Video from this morning shows ICE agents deploying tear gas outside a Minneapolis preschool as parents shout, “This is a preschool! There’s kids here!”
Reposted by Abby Polter
We were on the cusp of changing medicine forever. Curing things that had no cure. mRNA vaccines are revolutionary
Moderna CEO says Trump’s policies have so curtailed vaccine market they won’t be investing in new research. So that’s awesome. Good luck when the next pandemic hits. www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8fWErMy/
Bloomberg Business on TikTok
Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said the company doesn’t plan to invest in new late-stage vaccine trials because of growing opposition to immunizations from US officials. #health #business #medicine #US #government
www.tiktok.com
January 27, 2026 at 5:35 AM
We were on the cusp of changing medicine forever. Curing things that had no cure. mRNA vaccines are revolutionary
a poem I always turn to in dark times.
just......... don't look up what happened next.
just......... don't look up what happened next.
Defenceless under the night
Our world in stupor lies;
Yet, dotted everywhere,
Ironic points of light
Flash out wherever the Just
Exchange their messages:
May I, composed like them
Of Eros and of dust,
Beleaguered by the same
Negation and despair,
Show an affirming flame.
— W.H. Auden, Sept. 1, 1939
Our world in stupor lies;
Yet, dotted everywhere,
Ironic points of light
Flash out wherever the Just
Exchange their messages:
May I, composed like them
Of Eros and of dust,
Beleaguered by the same
Negation and despair,
Show an affirming flame.
— W.H. Auden, Sept. 1, 1939
January 25, 2026 at 2:13 PM
a poem I always turn to in dark times.
just......... don't look up what happened next.
just......... don't look up what happened next.
Reposted by Abby Polter
Defenceless under the night
Our world in stupor lies;
Yet, dotted everywhere,
Ironic points of light
Flash out wherever the Just
Exchange their messages:
May I, composed like them
Of Eros and of dust,
Beleaguered by the same
Negation and despair,
Show an affirming flame.
— W.H. Auden, Sept. 1, 1939
Our world in stupor lies;
Yet, dotted everywhere,
Ironic points of light
Flash out wherever the Just
Exchange their messages:
May I, composed like them
Of Eros and of dust,
Beleaguered by the same
Negation and despair,
Show an affirming flame.
— W.H. Auden, Sept. 1, 1939
January 25, 2026 at 3:49 AM
Defenceless under the night
Our world in stupor lies;
Yet, dotted everywhere,
Ironic points of light
Flash out wherever the Just
Exchange their messages:
May I, composed like them
Of Eros and of dust,
Beleaguered by the same
Negation and despair,
Show an affirming flame.
— W.H. Auden, Sept. 1, 1939
Our world in stupor lies;
Yet, dotted everywhere,
Ironic points of light
Flash out wherever the Just
Exchange their messages:
May I, composed like them
Of Eros and of dust,
Beleaguered by the same
Negation and despair,
Show an affirming flame.
— W.H. Auden, Sept. 1, 1939
Reposted by Abby Polter
One of the best organizers I know in the Twin Cities has a great line, "We can't always take away the hurt, but we can take away the alone."
January 25, 2026 at 4:49 AM
One of the best organizers I know in the Twin Cities has a great line, "We can't always take away the hurt, but we can take away the alone."
Reposted by Abby Polter
Nonviolence is, in fact, working. This administration is weaker than it was a year ago. More and more of the public is becoming galvanized against it; its agents are being impeded.
Do you honestly think people in the civil rights movement and other nonviolent movements faced no violence themselves? They practiced nonviolence because it works, because the oppressor wants a shooting war, which is the war it will win
How's your non-violent working Mr Gandhi stancil? They will kill each and everyone of you right if they had the chance and you will still be writing Kumbaya.
January 24, 2026 at 9:53 PM
Nonviolence is, in fact, working. This administration is weaker than it was a year ago. More and more of the public is becoming galvanized against it; its agents are being impeded.
missed DC's vigil tonight, but put a candle in the window
January 25, 2026 at 12:34 AM
missed DC's vigil tonight, but put a candle in the window
Do you live in a real state with a senator? Call them!
January 25, 2026 at 12:30 AM
Do you live in a real state with a senator? Call them!
Reposted by Abby Polter
you don't become a martyr because you were a saint, you become a saint because you were martyred
I agree that we can’t make Alex Pretti a Benedictine monk because that’s a trap, but we can talk about the good things we did because people will see and hear them and think “I do those things too”
January 24, 2026 at 11:31 PM
you don't become a martyr because you were a saint, you become a saint because you were martyred
Reposted by Abby Polter
“He cared about people deeply and he was very upset with what was happening...He thought it was terrible, you know, kidnapping children, just grabbing people off the street. He cared about those people, and he knew it was wrong, so he did participate in protests.”
coloradosun.com/2026/01/24/c...
coloradosun.com/2026/01/24/c...
Colorado parents of man killed in Minneapolis urged him to be careful at ICE protests
Alex Jeffrey Pretti “loved this country, but he hated what people were doing to it,” his father said from Colorado.
coloradosun.com
January 24, 2026 at 11:42 PM
“He cared about people deeply and he was very upset with what was happening...He thought it was terrible, you know, kidnapping children, just grabbing people off the street. He cared about those people, and he knew it was wrong, so he did participate in protests.”
coloradosun.com/2026/01/24/c...
coloradosun.com/2026/01/24/c...
If making rage donations is part of your coping strategy, lots of MN local orgs that could use help. I'm sending some money to Hamline Midway Coalition which does does work in immigrant neighborhoods in the twin cities. www.zeffy.com/en-US/donati...
Hamline Midway Diaper, Formula, Hygiene, & Medical Supply Hub
Your gift helps communities care for our littlest neighbors👶🧴Nationally, 1 in 3 families report needing diaper assistance—especially families currently facing additional barriers. No one should ever h...
www.zeffy.com
January 24, 2026 at 7:45 PM
If making rage donations is part of your coping strategy, lots of MN local orgs that could use help. I'm sending some money to Hamline Midway Coalition which does does work in immigrant neighborhoods in the twin cities. www.zeffy.com/en-US/donati...
Reposted by Abby Polter
The Strib has identified him. Alex Pretti. Another 37-year-old executed for standing up for our immigrant neighbors. For shame.
www.startribune.com/ice-raids-mi...
www.startribune.com/ice-raids-mi...
January 24, 2026 at 6:49 PM
The Strib has identified him. Alex Pretti. Another 37-year-old executed for standing up for our immigrant neighbors. For shame.
www.startribune.com/ice-raids-mi...
www.startribune.com/ice-raids-mi...
Reposted by Abby Polter
Protester in Minnesota: I’m 70 years old and I’m fucking angry *disappears into gas*
January 24, 2026 at 5:16 PM
Protester in Minnesota: I’m 70 years old and I’m fucking angry *disappears into gas*
Reposted by Abby Polter
Reposted by Abby Polter
I am trying not to post on these events in this state of mind but: I hope people understand what the observers are doing is brave and dangerous.
January 24, 2026 at 4:51 PM
I am trying not to post on these events in this state of mind but: I hope people understand what the observers are doing is brave and dangerous.
Reposted by Abby Polter
Don’t watch the video. It was a murder, an execution. You do not need to watch it, it won’t help anyone. Warrants should be issued today if the government up there is anything other than a dead letter.
January 24, 2026 at 4:03 PM
Don’t watch the video. It was a murder, an execution. You do not need to watch it, it won’t help anyone. Warrants should be issued today if the government up there is anything other than a dead letter.