Derek Lowe
@dereklowe.bsky.social
Medicinal chemist / chemical biologist, author of “In the Pipeline” at http://science.org/blogs/pipeline. derekb.lowe@gmail.com and on Signal at Dblowe.18
All opinions are mine; I don’t speak for my employer in any way.
All opinions are mine; I don’t speak for my employer in any way.
Reposted by Derek Lowe
one chatbot told a participant in this study to go lay down in the dark when he was presenting with a brain hemorrhage... what are we even doing
www.404media.co/chatbots-hea...
www.404media.co/chatbots-hea...
Chatbots Make Terrible Doctors, New Study Finds
Chatbots provided incorrect, conflicting medical advice, researchers found: “Despite all the hype, AI just isn't ready to take on the role of the physician.”
www.404media.co
February 9, 2026 at 4:06 PM
one chatbot told a participant in this study to go lay down in the dark when he was presenting with a brain hemorrhage... what are we even doing
www.404media.co/chatbots-hea...
www.404media.co/chatbots-hea...
Reposted by Derek Lowe
Hey Frontiers, if you don't want your editors corrupted by bribery, I have a brilliant idea. Pay them more than the bribe. www.researchinformation.info/news/frontie...
Frontiers warns over paid approaches to editors - Research Information
Publisher says financial compensation has been offered in connection with editorial or peer-review activities
www.researchinformation.info
February 9, 2026 at 3:50 PM
Hey Frontiers, if you don't want your editors corrupted by bribery, I have a brilliant idea. Pay them more than the bribe. www.researchinformation.info/news/frontie...
Reposted by Derek Lowe
Pure inadvertent comedy gold #IDSky
still one of the most incredible videos of all time. wellness influencers doing woo encountering an indigenous shaman in the jungles of ecuador and he's like "I need your medicine, the tiger balm" and the guy is just like "no you need to get fucking penicillin moron"
www.youtube.com/shorts/ecOsp...
www.youtube.com/shorts/ecOsp...
Indigenous jungle shaman tells us we need antibiotics…?!
YouTube video by Xiaomanyc 小马在纽约
www.youtube.com
February 7, 2026 at 8:38 AM
Pure inadvertent comedy gold #IDSky
Reposted by Derek Lowe
Have I ever mentioned how surreal it is to be an Editor-in-Chief of a journal called Vaccine right now?
www.science.org/content/arti...
It’s pretty wild, at least by typical academic journal editorial office standards.
www.science.org/content/arti...
It’s pretty wild, at least by typical academic journal editorial office standards.
Controversial Danish vaccine research group faces new allegations
Researchers say they couldn’t find complete data for 10 trials that together enrolled tens of thousands of children in Guinea-Bissau
www.science.org
February 6, 2026 at 6:14 AM
Have I ever mentioned how surreal it is to be an Editor-in-Chief of a journal called Vaccine right now?
www.science.org/content/arti...
It’s pretty wild, at least by typical academic journal editorial office standards.
www.science.org/content/arti...
It’s pretty wild, at least by typical academic journal editorial office standards.
I have attempted to play Wordle all week, but I seem to ended up playing the far-less-entertaining “Guess Those Consonants” instead.
February 7, 2026 at 3:27 PM
I have attempted to play Wordle all week, but I seem to ended up playing the far-less-entertaining “Guess Those Consonants” instead.
Reposted by Derek Lowe
Spoke with a PI whose postdoc is trapped abroad because of social media vetting. It appears the postdoc missed disclosing one account and it's unclear if they can come back… ever.
This is the country we live in now.
This is the country we live in now.
February 7, 2026 at 2:07 PM
Spoke with a PI whose postdoc is trapped abroad because of social media vetting. It appears the postdoc missed disclosing one account and it's unclear if they can come back… ever.
This is the country we live in now.
This is the country we live in now.
Reposted by Derek Lowe
They’re trying to run the Kilmar Abrego Garcia playbook with a five year old boy in a bunny hat because nobody can find peace if they embarrass the Trump administration publicly. Normal people didn’t like it with Garcia and they really aren’t going to like it for Liam.
BREAKING: The federal government has filed a motion seeking to end asylum claims for the family of Liam Conejo Ramos, according to the lawyer representing the family.
DHS has requested expedited deportation proceedings against family of Liam Conejo Ramos
The federal government has filed a motion seeking to end asylum claims for the family of Liam Conejo Ramos, according to the lawyer representing the family.
www.mprnews.org
February 6, 2026 at 2:51 AM
They’re trying to run the Kilmar Abrego Garcia playbook with a five year old boy in a bunny hat because nobody can find peace if they embarrass the Trump administration publicly. Normal people didn’t like it with Garcia and they really aren’t going to like it for Liam.
Reposted by Derek Lowe
The public made noise for Liam Ramos and it got him released from Dilley.
Now we must make noise for 7 year old Diana Crespo.
Her parents were taking her for emergency medical care when ICE grabbed them, and she’s rotting in the camp sick and exposed to measles.
Get them out!
Now we must make noise for 7 year old Diana Crespo.
Her parents were taking her for emergency medical care when ICE grabbed them, and she’s rotting in the camp sick and exposed to measles.
Get them out!
February 6, 2026 at 12:08 AM
The public made noise for Liam Ramos and it got him released from Dilley.
Now we must make noise for 7 year old Diana Crespo.
Her parents were taking her for emergency medical care when ICE grabbed them, and she’s rotting in the camp sick and exposed to measles.
Get them out!
Now we must make noise for 7 year old Diana Crespo.
Her parents were taking her for emergency medical care when ICE grabbed them, and she’s rotting in the camp sick and exposed to measles.
Get them out!
Reposted by Derek Lowe
To all our international friends attending the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony in Milan tomorrow:
Please loudly boo JD Vance and his delegation. Make him feel like shit. We encourage it. We wish we could be there to boo him, too.
Signed,
the American people
Please loudly boo JD Vance and his delegation. Make him feel like shit. We encourage it. We wish we could be there to boo him, too.
Signed,
the American people
February 5, 2026 at 9:01 PM
To all our international friends attending the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony in Milan tomorrow:
Please loudly boo JD Vance and his delegation. Make him feel like shit. We encourage it. We wish we could be there to boo him, too.
Signed,
the American people
Please loudly boo JD Vance and his delegation. Make him feel like shit. We encourage it. We wish we could be there to boo him, too.
Signed,
the American people
Reposted by Derek Lowe
RFK is using his position to push things that have never shown any benefit in autism & have shown serious harms, including numerous dead kids thru the years. Why push for things known to harm instead of looking for things that could actually provide benefit? Because the harmful things are profitable
February 5, 2026 at 5:57 PM
RFK is using his position to push things that have never shown any benefit in autism & have shown serious harms, including numerous dead kids thru the years. Why push for things known to harm instead of looking for things that could actually provide benefit? Because the harmful things are profitable
Reposted by Derek Lowe
Preach, EP Thompson.
Thompson, E.P. “Time, Work-Discipline, and Industrial Capitalism.” Past & Present, no. 38 (December 1967): 56–97. www.jstor.org/stable/649749. 73.
Thompson, E.P. “Time, Work-Discipline, and Industrial Capitalism.” Past & Present, no. 38 (December 1967): 56–97. www.jstor.org/stable/649749. 73.
February 5, 2026 at 8:32 PM
Preach, EP Thompson.
Thompson, E.P. “Time, Work-Discipline, and Industrial Capitalism.” Past & Present, no. 38 (December 1967): 56–97. www.jstor.org/stable/649749. 73.
Thompson, E.P. “Time, Work-Discipline, and Industrial Capitalism.” Past & Present, no. 38 (December 1967): 56–97. www.jstor.org/stable/649749. 73.
Absolutely. Everyone with a working brain and a working heart is getting reallllly familiar with this feeling.
R/onlyfansadvice poster is all of us.
www.reddit.com/r/onlyfansad...
“Alright, idk where else to talk about this because not everyone wants to listen, especially because it has to do with 2 uncomfortable topics: the political climate and my desire to make OF content.”
www.reddit.com/r/onlyfansad...
“Alright, idk where else to talk about this because not everyone wants to listen, especially because it has to do with 2 uncomfortable topics: the political climate and my desire to make OF content.”
February 5, 2026 at 5:21 PM
Absolutely. Everyone with a working brain and a working heart is getting reallllly familiar with this feeling.
These are all totally reasonable. My hope is that when the Republicans reject them - as they are very likely to - that Schumer and Jeffries just walk out until they’re met.
My fear is instead that they’ll use this list as a starting point and negotiate a lot of it away before caving.
My fear is instead that they’ll use this list as a starting point and negotiate a lot of it away before caving.
Schumer & Jeffries lay out the Democratic demands for a DHS funding deal in a letter to the top Republican leaders
February 5, 2026 at 2:17 PM
These are all totally reasonable. My hope is that when the Republicans reject them - as they are very likely to - that Schumer and Jeffries just walk out until they’re met.
My fear is instead that they’ll use this list as a starting point and negotiate a lot of it away before caving.
My fear is instead that they’ll use this list as a starting point and negotiate a lot of it away before caving.
Reposted by Derek Lowe
We shouldn't put all "AI-based tools" in the same bag. Grammar editing, yes. Translation tools, yes. All with some checks. It's not the same as using GenAI to create text from prompts.
February 5, 2026 at 1:27 PM
We shouldn't put all "AI-based tools" in the same bag. Grammar editing, yes. Translation tools, yes. All with some checks. It's not the same as using GenAI to create text from prompts.
Reposted by Derek Lowe
Farooq Sher is a papermilling fraudster at Nottingham Trent University in UK. He also runs a predatory conference scam. Farooq the Crook even sent lawyers to threaten me.
forbetterscience.com/tag/farooq-s...
forbetterscience.com/2022/10/17/n...
forbetterscience.com/tag/farooq-s...
forbetterscience.com/2022/10/17/n...
February 5, 2026 at 6:38 AM
Farooq Sher is a papermilling fraudster at Nottingham Trent University in UK. He also runs a predatory conference scam. Farooq the Crook even sent lawyers to threaten me.
forbetterscience.com/tag/farooq-s...
forbetterscience.com/2022/10/17/n...
forbetterscience.com/tag/farooq-s...
forbetterscience.com/2022/10/17/n...
I would be very glad to see examples of this, if anyone knows of some.
At the same time - I wonder if there's a flip side, of solid science that authors are now able to communicate more clearly because of (more measured!) assistance from AI...
Welcome, piles of slop filling up the journals with clouds of useless wordy garbage. Case in point:
February 5, 2026 at 12:54 PM
I would be very glad to see examples of this, if anyone knows of some.
Reposted by Derek Lowe
I am not exaggerating: Removing this webpage warning against fake autism "treatments" will kill autistic people.
www.medpagetoday.com/neurology/au...
www.medpagetoday.com/neurology/au...
FDA Removes Warning Page About Dangerous Autism Treatments
Autism researchers question motivations for latest HHS changes, including the new IACC
www.medpagetoday.com
February 5, 2026 at 1:35 AM
I am not exaggerating: Removing this webpage warning against fake autism "treatments" will kill autistic people.
www.medpagetoday.com/neurology/au...
www.medpagetoday.com/neurology/au...
Reposted by Derek Lowe
I get to review journal articles sometimes. Can confirm, it’s getting pretty sloppy.
It astonishes me that people ask these things scientific questions at all. You should see what the citations look like in a paper generated by a plagiarism robot. Utterly worthless.
It astonishes me that people ask these things scientific questions at all. You should see what the citations look like in a paper generated by a plagiarism robot. Utterly worthless.
Welcome, piles of slop filling up the journals with clouds of useless wordy garbage. Case in point:
What the Literature is Filling Up With
www.science.org
February 4, 2026 at 11:15 PM
I get to review journal articles sometimes. Can confirm, it’s getting pretty sloppy.
It astonishes me that people ask these things scientific questions at all. You should see what the citations look like in a paper generated by a plagiarism robot. Utterly worthless.
It astonishes me that people ask these things scientific questions at all. You should see what the citations look like in a paper generated by a plagiarism robot. Utterly worthless.
Reposted by Derek Lowe
First author Farooq Sher is well-known :) at least in the pubpeer crowd. Here is a collage from some of his best work! pubpeer.com/search?q=Far...
February 4, 2026 at 9:10 PM
First author Farooq Sher is well-known :) at least in the pubpeer crowd. Here is a collage from some of his best work! pubpeer.com/search?q=Far...
Welcome, piles of slop filling up the journals with clouds of useless wordy garbage. Case in point:
What the Literature is Filling Up With
www.science.org
February 4, 2026 at 8:47 PM
Welcome, piles of slop filling up the journals with clouds of useless wordy garbage. Case in point:
Reposted by Derek Lowe
Jeffrey Bezos is destroying the Washington Post for the same reason Musk destroyed Twitter and Ellison is destroying CBS—oligarchs oppose the free press when if it threatens their wealth and power.
They don’t want normal people to see what is happening in America.
They don’t want normal people to see what is happening in America.
February 4, 2026 at 2:47 PM
Jeffrey Bezos is destroying the Washington Post for the same reason Musk destroyed Twitter and Ellison is destroying CBS—oligarchs oppose the free press when if it threatens their wealth and power.
They don’t want normal people to see what is happening in America.
They don’t want normal people to see what is happening in America.
It seems that cancer has a preventative effect on Alzheimer's - but turning that phenomenon into something useful is not going to be straightforward:
A Complex Cancer-Alzheimer's Connection
www.science.org
February 4, 2026 at 3:03 PM
It seems that cancer has a preventative effect on Alzheimer's - but turning that phenomenon into something useful is not going to be straightforward:
Reposted by Derek Lowe
This cannot be something a civilian law enforcement agent is allowed to wear in the US — and an agency that has a culture that tolerates this cannot be saved.
Fucking surreal that people dressed like this and carrying assault rifles are permitted to kidnap people off our streets
February 4, 2026 at 12:53 AM
This cannot be something a civilian law enforcement agent is allowed to wear in the US — and an agency that has a culture that tolerates this cannot be saved.
Reposted by Derek Lowe
my two asks for electeds (reasonable ones, imo):
1) what can you demand in this current budget fight to free the hundreds of kids in DHS concentration camps?
2) will you pledge to dismantle DHS, abolish the paramilitaries, and close the concentration camps for good, once democrats are in power?
1) what can you demand in this current budget fight to free the hundreds of kids in DHS concentration camps?
2) will you pledge to dismantle DHS, abolish the paramilitaries, and close the concentration camps for good, once democrats are in power?
“Elizabeth has flu-like symptoms, while her mom has broken out in hives, Gutierrez said. Neither has been given any medicine or testing — a particular concern given the measles cases in the facility.”
Elizabeth is a Columbia Heights fourth-grader who loves volleyball, learning English and giggling in the halls with her friends. She's been held in the Dilley Immigration Processing Center for nearly a month, and she and her mom have both fallen ill. sahanjournal.com/education/co...
February 4, 2026 at 12:52 AM
my two asks for electeds (reasonable ones, imo):
1) what can you demand in this current budget fight to free the hundreds of kids in DHS concentration camps?
2) will you pledge to dismantle DHS, abolish the paramilitaries, and close the concentration camps for good, once democrats are in power?
1) what can you demand in this current budget fight to free the hundreds of kids in DHS concentration camps?
2) will you pledge to dismantle DHS, abolish the paramilitaries, and close the concentration camps for good, once democrats are in power?
Reposted by Derek Lowe
I don't know if non-lawyers understand how insane this statement is. I honestly can't think of anything remotely comparable in non-lawyer speak. I guess the closest would be a surgeon saying "Imagine if I had to wash my HANDS before doing surgery!"
Mike Johnson speaks out against the use of judicial warrants in immigration cases:
"Imagine if we had to go through the process of getting a judicial warrant"
"Imagine if we had to go through the process of getting a judicial warrant"
February 3, 2026 at 4:08 PM
I don't know if non-lawyers understand how insane this statement is. I honestly can't think of anything remotely comparable in non-lawyer speak. I guess the closest would be a surgeon saying "Imagine if I had to wash my HANDS before doing surgery!"