Gemma Conroy
@gvconroy.bsky.social
Freelance science reporter for Nature news and editor of the Nature Briefing: Careers newsletter. Bylines also at The New York Times, ABC Science, ScienceAlert and others. https://gemmaconroy.com
Want to know what your disease risk will look like decades from now? This new AI tool has the answer. My latest for @nature.com 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Which diseases will you have in 20 years? This AI accurately predicts your risks
A modified large language model called Delphi-2M analyses a person’s medical records and lifestyle to provide risk estimates for more than 1,000 diseases.
www.nature.com
September 18, 2025 at 7:20 PM
Want to know what your disease risk will look like decades from now? This new AI tool has the answer. My latest for @nature.com 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
The pandemic seemed to age people’s brains faster, but cognition only worsened in those who had an infection. My latest for @nature.com 🧪
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
People’s brains aged faster during the COVID pandemic — even the uninfected
Study of nearly 1,000 people showed that brain ageing was not linked to infection status, but cognitive decline was.
www.nature.com
July 24, 2025 at 12:25 AM
The pandemic seemed to age people’s brains faster, but cognition only worsened in those who had an infection. My latest for @nature.com 🧪
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Gemma Conroy
After ruling the NIH grant cuts were illegal yesterday, Judge Young, a Reagan appointee on the bench since 1985, ended the hearing with a blistering 15-minute speech.
I've cleaned up my notes — here are his remarks in full. 🧵
I've cleaned up my notes — here are his remarks in full. 🧵
Judge rules against NIH grant cuts — and calls them discriminatory
The decision means that the US biomedical agency has to restore funding to hundreds of research projects, but the government will likely appeal.
www.nature.com
June 17, 2025 at 1:47 PM
After ruling the NIH grant cuts were illegal yesterday, Judge Young, a Reagan appointee on the bench since 1985, ended the hearing with a blistering 15-minute speech.
I've cleaned up my notes — here are his remarks in full. 🧵
I've cleaned up my notes — here are his remarks in full. 🧵
While the world falls apart, a bunch of cockatoos have figured out how to use drinking fountains. My latest for @nytimes.com 🧪 www.nytimes.com/2025/06/03/s...
Clever Cockatoos Have Figured Out How to Drink From Water Fountains
www.nytimes.com
June 12, 2025 at 6:18 PM
While the world falls apart, a bunch of cockatoos have figured out how to use drinking fountains. My latest for @nytimes.com 🧪 www.nytimes.com/2025/06/03/s...
When given a certain human enhancer, mice grow bigger brains than usual. This offers one possible explanation for why humans evolved such large brains. My latest for @nature.com 🧪
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Mice grow bigger brains when given this stretch of human DNA
Finding adds to the bigger picture of how humans developed such large brains.
www.nature.com
May 20, 2025 at 5:41 PM
When given a certain human enhancer, mice grow bigger brains than usual. This offers one possible explanation for why humans evolved such large brains. My latest for @nature.com 🧪
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Can you find love at the lab bench? Should you mention your research on y our dating profile? I spoke to science PhDs about their dating experiences. My latest for @nature.com 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
‘I don’t have the bandwidth’: how to juggle dating alongside a PhD
Is lasting love more likely if you date only other scientists? How much should you talk about your research on a first date? Researchers lift the lid on their experiences of when science meets affairs...
www.nature.com
May 20, 2025 at 5:29 PM
Can you find love at the lab bench? Should you mention your research on y our dating profile? I spoke to science PhDs about their dating experiences. My latest for @nature.com 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Ah yes, mitochondria. They don’t really go anywhere right? Wrong. Researchers have been seeing these tiny energy factories move between cells, which could have implications for our health. We might even harness this process to treat disease. My latest for @nature.com www.nature.com/articles/d41... 🧪
Cells are swapping their mitochondria. What does this mean for our health?
Researchers are studying why the energy factories are moving between cells and whether the process can be harnessed to treat cancer and other diseases.
www.nature.com
April 16, 2025 at 11:02 PM
Ah yes, mitochondria. They don’t really go anywhere right? Wrong. Researchers have been seeing these tiny energy factories move between cells, which could have implications for our health. We might even harness this process to treat disease. My latest for @nature.com www.nature.com/articles/d41... 🧪
Resilience can only be a good thing right? Not when ‘toughing it out’ means enduring a toxic culture. My latest for @nature.com 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
‘I was told to toughen up’: is academia getting resilience all wrong?
Being repeatedly told to bounce back and develop a thicker skin can mask a toxic lab culture.
www.nature.com
March 14, 2025 at 3:35 AM
Resilience can only be a good thing right? Not when ‘toughing it out’ means enduring a toxic culture. My latest for @nature.com 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Gemma Conroy
🚨🧪 We’ve been talking to scientists at rallies today across the country in DC, Boston, Seattle, and NJ. Here’s why scientists are “Dismayed, depressed, disgusted” and what they’re doing about it
🧵 ⤵️ for more
#StandUpforScience #StandUpforScience2025
@nature.com
🧵 ⤵️ for more
#StandUpforScience #StandUpforScience2025
@nature.com
‘Scientists will not be silenced’: thousands protest Trump research cuts
Researchers at Stand Up for Science rallies voice defiance against the policies of US President Donald Trump’s administration.
www.nature.com
March 7, 2025 at 9:20 PM
🚨🧪 We’ve been talking to scientists at rallies today across the country in DC, Boston, Seattle, and NJ. Here’s why scientists are “Dismayed, depressed, disgusted” and what they’re doing about it
🧵 ⤵️ for more
#StandUpforScience #StandUpforScience2025
@nature.com
🧵 ⤵️ for more
#StandUpforScience #StandUpforScience2025
@nature.com
Reposted by Gemma Conroy
“If we don’t get this hiring freeze lifted...the impact will be felt by the American people in the form of delayed treatments and therapies for diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease."
The latest on the dismantling of US science, from @dangaristo.bsky.social
The latest on the dismantling of US science, from @dangaristo.bsky.social
US universities curtail PhD admissions amid Trump science funding cuts
Nature talks to prospective students left in limbo as some institutes withdraw offers and put applications on hold.
www.nature.com
February 28, 2025 at 12:06 AM
“If we don’t get this hiring freeze lifted...the impact will be felt by the American people in the form of delayed treatments and therapies for diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease."
The latest on the dismantling of US science, from @dangaristo.bsky.social
The latest on the dismantling of US science, from @dangaristo.bsky.social
Reposted by Gemma Conroy
China is leading the world in research into new kinds of computing chips, data from @csetgeorgetown.bsky.social suggests. If the research can be commercialised, the US won't be able to use export controls to hold back Chinese AI. My story here: www.nature.com/articles/d41... 🧪🤖
China research on next-generation computer chips is double the US output
Leading efforts in fields such as optical physics could stymie US export controls designed to stifle the country’s microchip industry.
www.nature.com
March 4, 2025 at 12:00 PM
China is leading the world in research into new kinds of computing chips, data from @csetgeorgetown.bsky.social suggests. If the research can be commercialised, the US won't be able to use export controls to hold back Chinese AI. My story here: www.nature.com/articles/d41... 🧪🤖
Reposted by Gemma Conroy
"We had to convince ourselves that it wasn’t something strange or weird with the telescope”
How @km3net.bsky.social discovered the most energetic neutrino ever (a mini 🧵)
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
How @km3net.bsky.social discovered the most energetic neutrino ever (a mini 🧵)
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Record-breaking neutrino is most energetic ever detected
Although still under construction, the sea-floor KM3NeT detector spotted a neutrino 20 times more powerful than any previously detected.
www.nature.com
February 13, 2025 at 11:32 AM
"We had to convince ourselves that it wasn’t something strange or weird with the telescope”
How @km3net.bsky.social discovered the most energetic neutrino ever (a mini 🧵)
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
How @km3net.bsky.social discovered the most energetic neutrino ever (a mini 🧵)
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Gemma Conroy
"The scientific community must be clear-eyed about the path ahead." - Gretchen Goldman of @ucsusa.bsky.social on Trump 2.0 in @nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
‘Despair is not an option’ — how scientists can help protect federal research
Government scientists in the US must be clear-eyed and continue to serve the public.
www.nature.com
February 4, 2025 at 3:13 PM
"The scientific community must be clear-eyed about the path ahead." - Gretchen Goldman of @ucsusa.bsky.social on Trump 2.0 in @nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
DeepSeek has taken the tech world by storm. Here’s how the little-known Chinese startup did it. My latest with @smritimallapaty.bsky.social and @lizziegibney.bsky.social 🧪
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
How China created AI model DeepSeek and shocked the world
Government policies, generous funding and a pipeline of AI graduates have helped Chinese firms create advanced LLMs.
www.nature.com
January 30, 2025 at 8:42 PM
DeepSeek has taken the tech world by storm. Here’s how the little-known Chinese startup did it. My latest with @smritimallapaty.bsky.social and @lizziegibney.bsky.social 🧪
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Gemma Conroy
Latest from the Nature Careers Podcast 🔊 ‘Do I need to lead this lifestyle to succeed?’ The mental health crises that forced faculty members to change tack
https://go.nature.com/3Wzdi9P
https://go.nature.com/3Wzdi9P
‘Do I need to lead this lifestyle to succeed?’ The mental health crises that forced faculty members to change tack
The pressures faced by lab leaders to be excellent researchers, teachers, managers, accountants and mentors can exact a heavy toll.
go.nature.com
January 24, 2025 at 4:57 PM
Latest from the Nature Careers Podcast 🔊 ‘Do I need to lead this lifestyle to succeed?’ The mental health crises that forced faculty members to change tack
https://go.nature.com/3Wzdi9P
https://go.nature.com/3Wzdi9P
Reposted by Gemma Conroy
‘Never seen anything like this’: Trump’s team halts NIH meetings and travel
In an unprecedented move, research-grant reviews have been suspended indefinitely at the world’s largest public funder of biomedical research.
#AcademicSky
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
In an unprecedented move, research-grant reviews have been suspended indefinitely at the world’s largest public funder of biomedical research.
#AcademicSky
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
‘Never seen anything like this’: Trump’s team halts NIH meetings and travel
In an unprecedented move, research-grant reviews have been suspended indefinitely at the world’s largest public funder of biomedical research.
www.nature.com
January 24, 2025 at 6:36 AM
‘Never seen anything like this’: Trump’s team halts NIH meetings and travel
In an unprecedented move, research-grant reviews have been suspended indefinitely at the world’s largest public funder of biomedical research.
#AcademicSky
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
In an unprecedented move, research-grant reviews have been suspended indefinitely at the world’s largest public funder of biomedical research.
#AcademicSky
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Not all retractions happen because of dodgy practices. Researchers whose papers are retracted due to an honest mistake often find the ordeal extremely stressful. My latest for @nature.com 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Retractions caused by honest mistakes are extremely stressful, say researchers
A survey highlights the emotional toll of retractions for authors and what could be done differently.
www.nature.com
January 15, 2025 at 10:55 AM
Not all retractions happen because of dodgy practices. Researchers whose papers are retracted due to an honest mistake often find the ordeal extremely stressful. My latest for @nature.com 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Gemma Conroy
My first post on Bluesky is about .... Bluesky. Tell us why you use it? Has it replaced X for you? What do you miss about X?
🧪
🧪
Has Bluesky replaced X for scientists? Take Nature’s poll
The research community has flocked to the social-media platform Bluesky. Tell us about your experience.
www.nature.com
January 14, 2025 at 11:01 PM
My first post on Bluesky is about .... Bluesky. Tell us why you use it? Has it replaced X for you? What do you miss about X?
🧪
🧪
Reposted by Gemma Conroy
Nature is keen to find out how scientists are using Bluesky and whether it has become their go-to soc media platform. Do you use Bluesky? Has it replaced X for you? Tell us about it: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Has Bluesky replaced X for scientists? Take Nature’s poll
The research community has flocked to the social-media platform Bluesky. Tell us about your experience.
www.nature.com
January 14, 2025 at 4:40 PM
Nature is keen to find out how scientists are using Bluesky and whether it has become their go-to soc media platform. Do you use Bluesky? Has it replaced X for you? Tell us about it: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Gemma Conroy
Linde Jacobs’s mother died after a genetic mutation gradually laid waste to her brain. Now the same gene is coming for her own mind. Can she find a way to stop it?
A Woman With a Rare Gene Mutation Fights to Avoid Her Mother’s Fate
A mutant gene is coming to steal Linde Jacobs’s mind. Can she find a way to stop it?
www.nytimes.com
December 22, 2024 at 10:10 PM
Linde Jacobs’s mother died after a genetic mutation gradually laid waste to her brain. Now the same gene is coming for her own mind. Can she find a way to stop it?
It turns out ‘Lucy’ could run on two legs, but she was no match for modern humans. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Humans evolved for distance running – but ancestor ‘Lucy’ didn’t go far or fast
3D models of Australopithecus afarensis suggest the muscular adaptations that made modern humans better runners.
www.nature.com
December 20, 2024 at 10:46 PM
It turns out ‘Lucy’ could run on two legs, but she was no match for modern humans. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Scientists have glimpsed the first signs of the ‘neutrino fog’. Is this the beginning of the end for dark matter experiments?
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
First sighting of ‘neutrino fog’ sparks excitement – but is it bad news for dark matter?
Ultra-sensitive detectors have observed neutrinos from the Sun, whose signals mimic those expected to be produced by elusive dark matter.
www.nature.com
December 20, 2024 at 2:14 AM
Scientists have glimpsed the first signs of the ‘neutrino fog’. Is this the beginning of the end for dark matter experiments?
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Australia has banned social media for kids under 16. Other governments are considering similar measures. What’s the evidence these bans will work? www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Governments are banning kids from social media: will that protect them from harm?
Australia is the latest nation to introduce restrictions, but evidence about whether they will work is limited.
www.nature.com
December 20, 2024 at 2:12 AM
Australia has banned social media for kids under 16. Other governments are considering similar measures. What’s the evidence these bans will work? www.nature.com/articles/d41...