Arya Zandvakili
@aryazandvakili.bsky.social
MD PhD. Physician-Scientist. Infectious Diseases Specialist.
In the lab, I use molecular biology and bioinformatics to study cytomegalovirus
In the community, I advocate for Medicare-for-All and Chair the Iowa Chapter of PNHP.org
In the lab, I use molecular biology and bioinformatics to study cytomegalovirus
In the community, I advocate for Medicare-for-All and Chair the Iowa Chapter of PNHP.org
Reposted by Arya Zandvakili
"Never spread the lie in the headline" should be a hard rule of 21st century journalism.
Research shows that repeating lies helps to spread them, and people read headlines more than they read stories.
Research shows that repeating lies helps to spread them, and people read headlines more than they read stories.
News media has to do better with headlines that present false and unverified public health claims.
November 30, 2025 at 1:10 AM
"Never spread the lie in the headline" should be a hard rule of 21st century journalism.
Research shows that repeating lies helps to spread them, and people read headlines more than they read stories.
Research shows that repeating lies helps to spread them, and people read headlines more than they read stories.
Reposted by Arya Zandvakili
When a travelling doctor questioned why a patient had been receiving dangerous cancer treatments for 11 years, he set off a chain of events that would divide a city and implicate a beloved oncologist in a string of suspicious deaths.
(Published Dec. 2024)
(Published Dec. 2024)
A Hospital Helped a Beloved Doctor’s Practice Flourish Even as It Suspected He Was Hurting Patients
Hailed as a savior upon his arrival in Helena, Dr. Thomas C. Weiner became a favorite of patients and his hospital’s highest earner. As the myth surrounding the high-profile oncologist grew, so did th...
www.propublica.org
November 30, 2025 at 10:00 PM
When a travelling doctor questioned why a patient had been receiving dangerous cancer treatments for 11 years, he set off a chain of events that would divide a city and implicate a beloved oncologist in a string of suspicious deaths.
(Published Dec. 2024)
(Published Dec. 2024)
Reposted by Arya Zandvakili
Letters to scientific journals surge as ‘prolific debutante’ authors likely use AI | Science | AAAS - fascinating report by @jeffreybrainard.bsky.social www.science.org/content/arti...
Letters to scientific journals surge as ‘prolific debutante’ authors likely use AI
New study reinforces worries about “mass production of junk” by unscrupulous scholars aiming to pad their CVs
www.science.org
November 4, 2025 at 8:34 PM
Letters to scientific journals surge as ‘prolific debutante’ authors likely use AI | Science | AAAS - fascinating report by @jeffreybrainard.bsky.social www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Arya Zandvakili
The acting CDC Director has no knowledge, training or experience in science/public health. Trump has no knowledge, training or experience in science/public health.
Both are calling to make the MMR vaccine into 3 separate shots, which makes absolutely no scientific or public health sense.
Both are calling to make the MMR vaccine into 3 separate shots, which makes absolutely no scientific or public health sense.
Acting CDC boss wants to break up MMR vaccine into three shots
Jim O’Neill joins President Donald Trump’s call for three distinct measles, mumps and rubella shots, claiming a separation would ‘reduce the risk of side effects’ and ‘maximize parental choice’
www.independent.co.uk
October 9, 2025 at 1:01 AM
The acting CDC Director has no knowledge, training or experience in science/public health. Trump has no knowledge, training or experience in science/public health.
Both are calling to make the MMR vaccine into 3 separate shots, which makes absolutely no scientific or public health sense.
Both are calling to make the MMR vaccine into 3 separate shots, which makes absolutely no scientific or public health sense.
Me studying for ID boards: rats can give you Hanta, Lassa, Lepto, LCMV, Rat bite fever, Plague.... and can snatch you up!
Talk about an in-flight meal.
For the first time, researchers have captured rats hunting bats by grabbing them from the sky. Learn more: https://scim.ag/3Jqldmn
For the first time, researchers have captured rats hunting bats by grabbing them from the sky. Learn more: https://scim.ag/3Jqldmn
October 28, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Me studying for ID boards: rats can give you Hanta, Lassa, Lepto, LCMV, Rat bite fever, Plague.... and can snatch you up!
October 22, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Reposted by Arya Zandvakili
The entire "free speech on campus" moral panic was manufactured to blackmail us into making space in intellectual life for bigots and charlatans who couldn't get there on their own merits. Its a DEI scheme for fascism. Congratulations to everyone who took it at face value.
“Following his lecture, Yarvin will debate the legendary British historian David Starkey on history and the future of conservatism.” Everything about this is so cursed. Masks off at the University of Oxford.
October 20, 2025 at 2:13 PM
The entire "free speech on campus" moral panic was manufactured to blackmail us into making space in intellectual life for bigots and charlatans who couldn't get there on their own merits. Its a DEI scheme for fascism. Congratulations to everyone who took it at face value.
Reposted by Arya Zandvakili
This is the result of a lot of people pretending racism is one of the greatest taboos in our culture while failing to address racism substantively. People are appalled by the idea of being called racist while being totally committed to upholding racism throughout society.
Every time a Democrat gets caught on tape saying like “Some Trump voters are racist” we have a national scandal and JD Vance demands an entirely new kind of apology and meanwhile every Republican group chat is like “Good morning fellow SS members. Who’s ready to respect Hitler today?”
October 15, 2025 at 2:13 PM
This is the result of a lot of people pretending racism is one of the greatest taboos in our culture while failing to address racism substantively. People are appalled by the idea of being called racist while being totally committed to upholding racism throughout society.
Reposted by Arya Zandvakili
None of the 9 campuses the Trump administration has asked to sign a “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” have done so, but conservative lawmakers in Iowa are urging the Board of Regents to be the 1st.
“Iowa has a chance to be a leader.”
www.thegazette.com/higher-educa...
“Iowa has a chance to be a leader.”
www.thegazette.com/higher-educa...
Iowa lawmakers urge regent universities to be first to sign Trump's higher ed compact
None of the nine campuses the Trump administration has asked to sign a "Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education" have done so, but two conservative lawmakers in Iowa are urging the Board o...
www.thegazette.com
October 14, 2025 at 8:22 PM
None of the 9 campuses the Trump administration has asked to sign a “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education” have done so, but conservative lawmakers in Iowa are urging the Board of Regents to be the 1st.
“Iowa has a chance to be a leader.”
www.thegazette.com/higher-educa...
“Iowa has a chance to be a leader.”
www.thegazette.com/higher-educa...
Reposted by Arya Zandvakili
ICE left David, a 17-year-old boy, stranded on the side of Interstate 20 after pulling over his immigrant father, Hector, in Mississippi.
David began running in the scorching sun after the car and watched as it disappeared from sight—soon headed to a Louisiana ICE prison.
Here's their story.
David began running in the scorching sun after the car and watched as it disappeared from sight—soon headed to a Louisiana ICE prison.
Here's their story.
ICE Stranded a 17-Year-Old on I-20 After Arresting His Father. The Mississippi Dad Now Faces Deportation.
A 17-year-old watched as ICE arrested his immigrant father, Hector, on I-20 in June. The family faces mounting legal fees and the risk of deportation.
www.mississippifreepress.org
October 10, 2025 at 11:58 PM
ICE left David, a 17-year-old boy, stranded on the side of Interstate 20 after pulling over his immigrant father, Hector, in Mississippi.
David began running in the scorching sun after the car and watched as it disappeared from sight—soon headed to a Louisiana ICE prison.
Here's their story.
David began running in the scorching sun after the car and watched as it disappeared from sight—soon headed to a Louisiana ICE prison.
Here's their story.
Reposted by Arya Zandvakili
Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, former Director of NIAID, is Fired by Health and Human Services Secretary Kennedy in Retaliation for Filing Whistleblower Complaint with the Office of Special Counsel
bit.ly/4gRA3yx
bit.ly/4gRA3yx
October 2, 2025 at 1:20 AM
Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, former Director of NIAID, is Fired by Health and Human Services Secretary Kennedy in Retaliation for Filing Whistleblower Complaint with the Office of Special Counsel
bit.ly/4gRA3yx
bit.ly/4gRA3yx
Reposted by Arya Zandvakili
🚨 New directive NSPM-7 targets "anti-capitalism," “anti-Christian,” and “anti-American" opinions as indicators of extremist violence, authorizing an army of 4,000 counter-terrorism officers to prevent crimes that haven't happened:
www.kenklippenstein.com/p/trumps-nsp...
www.kenklippenstein.com/p/trumps-nsp...
Trump’s NSPM-7 Labels Common Beliefs As Terrorism “Indicators”
New order targets “anti-Christian,” “anti-American,” and “anti-capitalism” opinions
www.kenklippenstein.com
September 27, 2025 at 7:14 PM
🚨 New directive NSPM-7 targets "anti-capitalism," “anti-Christian,” and “anti-American" opinions as indicators of extremist violence, authorizing an army of 4,000 counter-terrorism officers to prevent crimes that haven't happened:
www.kenklippenstein.com/p/trumps-nsp...
www.kenklippenstein.com/p/trumps-nsp...
Reposted by Arya Zandvakili
More than 25% of farmers and ranchers rely on the ACA marketplace for their health insurance coverage. With insurance premiums expected to rise, more people may choose to drop health insurance coverage, especially as the cost-of-living has increased.
#montana #healthcare
www.kff.org/affordable-c...
#montana #healthcare
www.kff.org/affordable-c...
Occupations with Large Shares of Workers Who Rely on Individual Market Coverage | KFF
This analysis examines the share of adult workers in occupations that rely more heavily on individual market coverage for health insurance, which is largely made up by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Ma...
www.kff.org
September 26, 2025 at 6:15 PM
More than 25% of farmers and ranchers rely on the ACA marketplace for their health insurance coverage. With insurance premiums expected to rise, more people may choose to drop health insurance coverage, especially as the cost-of-living has increased.
#montana #healthcare
www.kff.org/affordable-c...
#montana #healthcare
www.kff.org/affordable-c...
Reposted by Arya Zandvakili
This is the biggest attack on free speech since the McCarthy era but it also has significantly less popular consensus behind it than the second Red Scare. It's being done on behalf of a minority faction led by the most unpopular president in modern history. Organizing against this can win.
September 18, 2025 at 2:21 PM
This is the biggest attack on free speech since the McCarthy era but it also has significantly less popular consensus behind it than the second Red Scare. It's being done on behalf of a minority faction led by the most unpopular president in modern history. Organizing against this can win.
Reposted by Arya Zandvakili
If it’s run for profit, then it’s profiting off of … us.
When I hear that the post office lost money, I think this: Good. We already paid for it. Why on earth should it make even more money from us? Who would keep the money? Would we see it?
When I hear that the post office lost money, I think this: Good. We already paid for it. Why on earth should it make even more money from us? Who would keep the money? Would we see it?
I don't want to start a thing so I'll just say that there will never be a good argument for privatizing USPS. That would be like privatizing libraries. The aim of services isn't to be run for profit, they are for serving the greater good, which USPS has been extremely successful at.
September 8, 2025 at 1:55 AM
If it’s run for profit, then it’s profiting off of … us.
When I hear that the post office lost money, I think this: Good. We already paid for it. Why on earth should it make even more money from us? Who would keep the money? Would we see it?
When I hear that the post office lost money, I think this: Good. We already paid for it. Why on earth should it make even more money from us? Who would keep the money? Would we see it?
Reposted by Arya Zandvakili
woah this is genuinely, utterly WILD
Ant queens of one species produce males of another species, so she can then mate with them and produce hybrid workers!
This is so gloriously weird I can't quite compute it 🤯🧪🐜
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Ant queens of one species produce males of another species, so she can then mate with them and produce hybrid workers!
This is so gloriously weird I can't quite compute it 🤯🧪🐜
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
‘Almost unimaginable’: these ants are different species but share a mother
Ant queens of one species clone ants of another to create hybrid workers that do their bidding.
www.nature.com
September 3, 2025 at 10:09 PM
woah this is genuinely, utterly WILD
Ant queens of one species produce males of another species, so she can then mate with them and produce hybrid workers!
This is so gloriously weird I can't quite compute it 🤯🧪🐜
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Ant queens of one species produce males of another species, so she can then mate with them and produce hybrid workers!
This is so gloriously weird I can't quite compute it 🤯🧪🐜
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Arya Zandvakili
All the media has to do is ask a question like “tell me what kind of study you’d like to see that hasn’t been done before” instead of letting these losers just spew antivaxx lies on air. Markwayne Mullin couldn’t find his way out of a multiplication table let alone talk about research methodologies.
MARKWAYNE MULLIN: Why wouldn't we look at vaccines and autism?
HUNT: We have looked at it and the studies show there is no connection
MULLIN: So we shouldn't look at it again?
HUNT: We have looked at it and the studies show there is no connection
MULLIN: So we shouldn't look at it again?
September 5, 2025 at 1:39 AM
All the media has to do is ask a question like “tell me what kind of study you’d like to see that hasn’t been done before” instead of letting these losers just spew antivaxx lies on air. Markwayne Mullin couldn’t find his way out of a multiplication table let alone talk about research methodologies.
Reposted by Arya Zandvakili
RFK Jr: It's gonna be the biggest infusion of federal dollar into rural healthcare in American history
BERNIE SANDERS: Yeah. You know why? Because you're cutting $150b for rural hospitals, you're putting $50b back. That's not an infusion. That's a loss of $100b.
BERNIE SANDERS: Yeah. You know why? Because you're cutting $150b for rural hospitals, you're putting $50b back. That's not an infusion. That's a loss of $100b.
September 4, 2025 at 4:16 PM
RFK Jr: It's gonna be the biggest infusion of federal dollar into rural healthcare in American history
BERNIE SANDERS: Yeah. You know why? Because you're cutting $150b for rural hospitals, you're putting $50b back. That's not an infusion. That's a loss of $100b.
BERNIE SANDERS: Yeah. You know why? Because you're cutting $150b for rural hospitals, you're putting $50b back. That's not an infusion. That's a loss of $100b.
Reposted by Arya Zandvakili
Reposted by Arya Zandvakili
Thinking about this moment ahead of RFK Jr's Senate hearing tomorrow.
Watching Bill Cassidy reveal the commitments that RFK Jr gave him — for instance, a pledge to provide Senate a 30-day heads-up on any planned changes to vaccine safety monitoring programs.
Strikes me that these commitments wouldn’t be needed if the health secretary wasn’t RFK Jr
Strikes me that these commitments wouldn’t be needed if the health secretary wasn’t RFK Jr
September 4, 2025 at 1:35 AM
Thinking about this moment ahead of RFK Jr's Senate hearing tomorrow.
Reposted by Arya Zandvakili
This 🧵 is long so please bear with me. It is compiles evidence in a historical timeline on how effective #COVIDVaccines are. When a pandemic ends we quickly and easily forget the tools that got us out of it. So here is my labour day gift to you prompted by this headline.
September 1, 2025 at 10:38 PM
This 🧵 is long so please bear with me. It is compiles evidence in a historical timeline on how effective #COVIDVaccines are. When a pandemic ends we quickly and easily forget the tools that got us out of it. So here is my labour day gift to you prompted by this headline.
Reposted by Arya Zandvakili
'Tariffs threaten to hit antibiotics particularly hard. The drugs have very thin profit margins, they are vulnerable to shortages and U.S. production is very limited. Other widely used and vulnerable antibiotics include ciprofloxacin and doxycycline.'
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/23/h...
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/23/h...
Where Your Medicines Are Made
www.nytimes.com
August 24, 2025 at 12:31 AM
'Tariffs threaten to hit antibiotics particularly hard. The drugs have very thin profit margins, they are vulnerable to shortages and U.S. production is very limited. Other widely used and vulnerable antibiotics include ciprofloxacin and doxycycline.'
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/23/h...
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/23/h...
Reposted by Arya Zandvakili
The saga of the NYT's anti-Mamdani story taken from notorious white supremacist Jordan Lasker (they call him an "academic") gets even more amazing: Lasker's only impactful paper, which claimed white people are smarter, is infamous: it misused data so badly it got his tenured co-author fired. 2/
July 4, 2025 at 3:26 AM
The saga of the NYT's anti-Mamdani story taken from notorious white supremacist Jordan Lasker (they call him an "academic") gets even more amazing: Lasker's only impactful paper, which claimed white people are smarter, is infamous: it misused data so badly it got his tenured co-author fired. 2/
Reposted by Arya Zandvakili
one of the stranger phenomena in American life is that hate is supposed to flow in one direction (rural people get to hate urban people, Republicans get to hate Democrats) and if the hate goes the other way people pretend as if this is very upsetting.
The media made a HUGE deal out of "basket of deplorables" and "cling to their guns or religion."
But, of course, it will totally ignore Trump saying he hates Democrats: "I hate them. I believe they hate their country."
But, of course, it will totally ignore Trump saying he hates Democrats: "I hate them. I believe they hate their country."
in addition to his "shylocks" comment, i can't imagine the media backlash if Biden said anything like from this screenshot - that he "hates Republicans" - and i'm also tired of having this "IMAGINE IF BIDEN!" thought experiment but it's just a constant reminder of the double standards
July 4, 2025 at 3:28 PM
one of the stranger phenomena in American life is that hate is supposed to flow in one direction (rural people get to hate urban people, Republicans get to hate Democrats) and if the hate goes the other way people pretend as if this is very upsetting.
Reposted by Arya Zandvakili
