Rebecca Turk MacLeod
drturkmac.bsky.social
Rebecca Turk MacLeod
@drturkmac.bsky.social
Science and Snark.
Personally I think it's pretty unlikely that That Guy did That Thing to That Other Guy, but you know the rumor is going to stick and that is hilarious
November 14, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Reposted by Rebecca Turk MacLeod
NIH scientist Dr. Jenna Norton was just placed on nondisciplinary leave.

She led a team who wrote a sign-on letter critical of The Regime.

A person at NIH asked to give a reason for her leave called her “radical leftist”; while the NIH Director has claimed that “dissent is productive”.
N.I.H. Worker Who Criticized Trump Health Policies Says She Is on Administrative Leave
www.nytimes.com
November 14, 2025 at 1:52 PM
Reposted by Rebecca Turk MacLeod
Prohibited activities include advising Chinese graduate students. For reference, a recent Georgetown report estimated 16% of STEM graduate students in the US are Chinese nationals.

This would take out entire fields at the knees, which is perhaps the point.
“The prohibited activities would include joint research, co-authorship on papers, and advising a foreign graduate student or postdoctoral fellow. The language is retroactive, meaning any interactions during the previous 5 years could make a scientist ineligible for future federal funding.”
U.S. Congress considers sweeping ban on Chinese collaborations
Researchers speak out against proposal that would bar funding for U.S. scientists working with Chinese partners or training Chinese students
www.science.org
November 14, 2025 at 2:52 AM
Reposted by Rebecca Turk MacLeod
🧪🔭🧬🔬🦠🌎😡👇
A bad thing is unfolding at NIH this week: It looks like the Trump administration is trying to replace key civil servant scientific leaders, the Institute Directors, with political hires. These directors control the NIH budget, tens of billions.

A bit of a video explainer here: 1/ 🧪
November 14, 2025 at 2:19 AM
Reposted by Rebecca Turk MacLeod
Donald Trump just called Lauren Boebert to ask her to remove her name from the petition to release the Epstein files.

She does not plan to do so.
November 12, 2025 at 6:36 PM
Reposted by Rebecca Turk MacLeod
a few months ago I said "having generative AI handle absolutely anything with regards to healthcare is a nightmare and should be banned" and a bunch of people made fun of me and called me stupid. anyways,
November 10, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Reposted by Rebecca Turk MacLeod
Schumer (NY) 202 224-6542

Booker (NJ) 202 224-3224

King (ME) 202 224-5344

Hassan (NH) 202 224-3324

Durbin (IL) 202 224-2152

Ossoff (GA) 202 224-3521

Shaheen (NH) 202 224-2841

Gillibrand (NY) 202 224-4451

Masto (NV) 202 224-3542

Warner (VA) 202 224-2023
November 9, 2025 at 10:54 PM
Reposted by Rebecca Turk MacLeod
So here's where we are, Sunday morning:

Trump is trying to starve hungry kids in order to bully Democrats into abandoning our fight against health care premium increases.

So Trump is starving kids in order to deny families health care.

Dystopian.
November 9, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Reposted by Rebecca Turk MacLeod
Tonight's Low Quality Ad is for this "May you have the confidence of a mediocre white man" Sticker. I feel like I should be offended by this, but as a mediocre white man I am far too confident to let it bother me.
collabs.shop/irhfgv
November 8, 2025 at 11:57 PM
Reposted by Rebecca Turk MacLeod
Until the end of the government shutdown, our campaign will be donating $2,500 a month to a food pantry in the Ninth District.

And to my fellow candidates, I challenge you to do the same:
November 8, 2025 at 8:56 PM
Reposted by Rebecca Turk MacLeod
What ICE is doing is illegal and it’s traumatizing families.

We’re in a state of psychological warfare. The economy’s going in the sewer. The government is still closed. And all of this? It’s to delay the Epstein files.

What do you think? Put your comments below. Thanks.

Video Credit: @apnews
November 8, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Reposted by Rebecca Turk MacLeod
apropos james watson’s death i had an idle thought today about how stupid race/iq stuff sounds. “buh if your skin is darker you are biologically less smart” is a thing only a dumbass can believe
November 7, 2025 at 8:53 PM
Reposted by Rebecca Turk MacLeod
In case anyone is wondering if Watson was really THAT bad, @lpachter.bsky.social compiled a list of quotes that are absolutely not for the faint of heart.
liorpachter.wordpress.com/2018/05/18/j...
November 7, 2025 at 10:18 PM
Reposted by Rebecca Turk MacLeod
New — While some states have received SNAP benefits for November and USDA is supposedly pushing through all federal payments soon, that doesn’t erase the psychological terror of the last few weeks.

I spoke with 20+ SNAP recipients in 16 states about preparing for a possible future with no food:
The voices of SNAP
Recipients have become political pawns. They explained, in their own words, what Trump withholding funds has been like.
www.thehandbasket.co
November 7, 2025 at 10:55 PM
Reposted by Rebecca Turk MacLeod
James Watson, who stole women’s work on DNA and presented it as his own, is dead at 97

There, fixed it for you

(Also, TIL he was still alive…)
November 7, 2025 at 9:19 PM
Reposted by Rebecca Turk MacLeod
One thing to do, especially if you’re a science writer or editor, is when you have occasion to mention the names of the discoverers of the structure of DNA, just say “Watson, Crick, and Franklin.” No one can stop us, and it is correct.
November 7, 2025 at 9:52 PM
Reposted by Rebecca Turk MacLeod
I had a run in with ICE snatching a man out of his car while walking my children to school this morning in NW DC

I asked a neighbor to continue walking my kids to school and I turned back to document and confront the ICE agents.

I am in contact with @dcmigrantmutualaid.org with the full video.
November 6, 2025 at 8:33 PM
Instead of "food banks" we should just call it "free food," there's less stigma that way
November 7, 2025 at 8:03 PM
Reposted by Rebecca Turk MacLeod
We should have updated jobs numbers today.

But Trump’s government shutdown is leaving us in the dark about our economy.

And he won’t release the already prepared jobs numbers from September.

Trump needs to release this critical data NOW.
November 7, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Reposted by Rebecca Turk MacLeod
A family friend was telling us about what her husband shared about his experience in Broadview before he was deported back to Mexico. She's been sharing to friends and family because she's just in disbelief & horror what her husband told her. She wasn't able to talk to him until he was in Mexico.
November 7, 2025 at 3:08 AM
Reposted by Rebecca Turk MacLeod
Wondering why no one likes your posts anymore, even among your friends? It's because @jay.bsky.team and team have decided to hide a huge amount of content from all of our feeds by default.

Here's how to turn it off.

First go to the hamburger menu in the upper left corner
November 6, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Reposted by Rebecca Turk MacLeod
BREAKING: Starbucks workers have just authorized a massive strike.

Union Starbucks baristas voted to authorize the strike by 92%.

Now baristas in over 25 cities could launch an unfair labor practice strike on Thursday, November 13th.
November 5, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Reposted by Rebecca Turk MacLeod
Does anyone have experience or contact with anyone at Harvard's Origins of Life Initiative (I mean, aside from Avi Loeb)? I'm trying to figure out if 1) I should apply to their postdoctoral fellowship and 2) if so, who I should ask to be my faculty contact for my application.
November 3, 2025 at 7:22 PM
Reposted by Rebecca Turk MacLeod
it's time for journos to start asking Johnson meta questions

"Speaker, on 5 occasions last week you said 'I haven't seen it' when asked about news events w/big implications for public policy. Do you ever read the news, and do you agree it's problematic for the Speaker to be so woefully uninformed?"
November 3, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Reposted by Rebecca Turk MacLeod
We've got you 👍
November 3, 2025 at 4:03 PM