Herb Brody
hbrody.bsky.social
Herb Brody
@hbrody.bsky.social
science, politics, media and whatever else grabs my attention. Editor of Nature Outlook (https://go.nature.com/outlook) but I don't speak for Nature.
Six AI movers and shakers examine what they have created -- assessing both the promise and the perils. www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
The future of AI
Artificial intelligence is flying high. Nature asked leading innovators what they think will happen next.
www.nature.com
November 17, 2025 at 9:14 AM
Reposted by Herb Brody
I'm beyond grateful to the judges for highlighting my work on the dismantling of the US scientific enterprise.

This award goes out to the brave federal workers who have participated in my stories and helped the public to cut through the noise and chaos. Your stories are being heard.
SO MANY CONGRATS to @maxkozlov.bsky.social for winning @sciencewriting.bsky.social's Clark-Payne award for young science writers! Max's reporting on the impacts of the Trump administration "gives readers straight answers at a confusing time," one judge said.

casw.org/news/max-koz...
Max Kozlov wins 2025 Evert Clark/Seth Payne Award - CASW
casw.org
September 2, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Excellent piece exploring the skin-mind connection.
I fell down a rabbit hole one day following my curiosity about a surprising (to me) link between mental health and #eczema. Then I got a chance to take a deep dive. What I found: It's complicated. But some undaunted researchers are slowly untangling these connections. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Explaining the mental-health burden of atopic dermatitis
People with the inflammatory skin disease are at greater risk of neuropsychiatric conditions. Researchers are trying to find out why.
www.nature.com
August 27, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Tom Lehrer introduced me to the concept of satire at an early age. This album got very heavy play in our house when I was in elementary school. RIP. youtu.be/8fSbbsWrxqc?...
July 27, 2025 at 5:10 PM
This clearly was not a forecast failure.
There have been claims that NOAA/NWS did not foresee catastrophic TX floods--but that's simply not true. This was undoubtedly an extreme event, but messaging rapidly escalated beginning ~12 hrs prior. Flood Watch mid PM, "heads up" outlook late PM, flash flood warnings ~1am.
WPC issued as many as six MPDs for the deadly flash flooding in the TX Hill Country starting yesterday evening and lasting through much of today. The first MPD generally set the stage for what was to come, while the next three shown were as the event unfolded.
July 5, 2025 at 10:14 PM
Great new piece by @cassandrawillyard.bsky.social on the dubious value of diagnostic kits marketed directly to consumers for use at home. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
July 3, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Reposted by Herb Brody
A Nature Outlook feature reports on the use of blood tests to help with Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis. The tests allow physicians to provide timely interventions that can help slow disease progression and preserve quality of life. #Alzsky #medsky 🧪
Faster, cheaper, better: the rise of blood tests for Alzheimer’s
Circulating biomarkers are quickly becoming a crucial part of diagnosis and disease monitoring for physicians, researchers — and even some consumers.
go.nature.com
June 14, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Reposted by Herb Brody
Two out of every three people with Alzheimer’s are women, and the greatest risk factor after old age is being a woman. A Nature Outlook article shows how a decade of research studying the effects of sex and gender on the disease is starting to bear fruit. #medsky #alzsky 🧪
Why women experience Alzheimer’s disease differently from men
Sex and gender research could lead to better, more equitable treatments — if it is allowed to continue without political interference.
go.nature.com
June 12, 2025 at 1:10 AM
Reposted by Herb Brody
This week in my Science Communication course for grad students, we are starting our unit on communicating technical subjects to the interested public.

Does anyone have any tips on *writing* about science or other technical subjects for the public that you'd like to share? Op-eds, blog posts, etc.
June 9, 2025 at 12:25 PM
Reposted by Herb Brody
Sleep, the activity that consumes roughly one-third of our lives, affects health in ways scientists are only beginning to fully understand. Browse the Nature Outlook. 🧪
Unlocking the secrets of sleep
The activity that consumes roughly one-third of our lives affects health in ways scientists are only beginning to fully understand.
go.nature.com
May 10, 2025 at 1:04 AM
Reposted by Herb Brody
Sharing an open letter from all of the former National Weather Service Directors (Louis Uccellini, Jack Hayes, Brigadier General D.L. Johnson, Brigadier General John J. Kelly Jr., E.W. (Joe) Friday, Ph.D.) on the importance of NOAA/NWS and the implications of budget/staff cuts on the NOAA mission:
May 3, 2025 at 3:49 AM
Not content to merely shoot itself in the foot (tariffs), the Trump administration is now aiming at the head. "They are butchering the gold standard merit review process that was established at NSF over decades”. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Exclusive: NSF stops awarding new grants and funding existing ones
US science funder also plans to screen grant applications for compliance with ‘agency priorities’.
www.nature.com
May 2, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Parkinson’s disease affects nearly 3% of people over the age of 65 globally. Researchers are discovering how this condition interacts with the organisms in the gut, writes @sarahdeweerdt.bsky.social.
Parkinson’s gut-microbiota links raise treatment possibilities
The relationship between pathology in the brain and alterations in the gut microbiome could lead to therapies — even if it’s not clear which changes come first.
www.nature.com
May 2, 2025 at 7:22 PM
The origin story behind this excellent Vox podcast is an amazing piece by @liamdrew.bsky.social: www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
April 30, 2025 at 6:57 PM
Only by examining her entire genome could a little girl's condition be identified: a medical detective story. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Whole-genome sequencing susses out rare diseases
Conventional tests that look only at a small subset of genetic code often miss variations hiding outside the protein-coding genome.
www.nature.com
April 17, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Reposted by Herb Brody
It is the height of historical irony that Donald Trump—who so skillfully availed himself of his own “due process” to delay and stall his 94 criminal charges long enough to return to the presidency and escape entirely—is now seeking to rob the rest of us of it. www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/has-americ...
Has America Reached the End of the Road?
Donald Trump has forced the one crisis that will tell us who we are.
www.doomsdayscenario.co
April 15, 2025 at 4:49 PM
These tests offer a minimally invasive, affordable alternative to lumbar punctures and brain imaging, writes Elie Dolgin. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Faster, cheaper, better: the rise of blood tests for Alzheimer’s
Circulating biomarkers are quickly becoming a crucial part of diagnosis and disease monitoring for physicians, researchers — and even some consumers.
www.nature.com
April 16, 2025 at 9:54 PM
Some 7 million people a year are diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Here's what we know about the causes and potential treatments for this degenerative condition.
Nature Outlook: Alzheimer's disease
Advances in treatment and diagnosis are shifting perspectives on cognitive decline.
www.nature.com
April 16, 2025 at 9:40 PM
Birds do it. Bees do it. Even animals without central nervous systems do it. And of course babies do it — albeit less than their frazzled parents would like. But.... why?
www.nature.com/immersive/sl...
Nature Outlook: Sleep
Exploring the purpose and pathologies of a mysterious subconscious realm.
www.nature.com
April 10, 2025 at 1:16 PM