Joshua G. Schraiber
@jgschraiber.bsky.social
Evolutionary biologist, computational biologist, statistician. I like to develop mathematical models of evolutionary process and see how they fit to data. I also like cities where building apartments is legal.
Reposted by Joshua G. Schraiber
BART installs proper fee gates and finds infrastructure behind them significantly protected from damage
x.com/sfbart/statu...
x.com/sfbart/statu...
February 10, 2026 at 2:23 AM
BART installs proper fee gates and finds infrastructure behind them significantly protected from damage
x.com/sfbart/statu...
x.com/sfbart/statu...
Again, just done for reasons of pure animus
HORRIFYING -
Dismantling USAID & cancelling >80% of aid caused ~750,000 deaths by mid-2025
🧸Most were children
⌛️ Many died within the first year
😰 Preventable deaths were mainly from:
- HIV, TB, malaria
- Maternal & fetal deaths
- Malnutrition
news.westernu.ca/2026/01/u-s-...
Dismantling USAID & cancelling >80% of aid caused ~750,000 deaths by mid-2025
🧸Most were children
⌛️ Many died within the first year
😰 Preventable deaths were mainly from:
- HIV, TB, malaria
- Maternal & fetal deaths
- Malnutrition
news.westernu.ca/2026/01/u-s-...
Expert insight: U.S. withdrawal from WHO could affect global health - Western News
History professor Mitchell L. Hammond explains how the U.S. withdrawal from the World Health Organization could affect global health and disease threats.
news.westernu.ca
February 10, 2026 at 2:35 AM
Again, just done for reasons of pure animus
Reposted by Joshua G. Schraiber
Speaker Mike Johnson said Monday he is moving forward with a plan to revive a prohibition on House votes to overturn President Donald Trump’s global tariffs.
www.politico.com/live-updates...
www.politico.com/live-updates...
Johnson moves to again block House from voting on Trump tariffs
Opposition from as few as two Republicans could derail the effort.
www.politico.com
February 10, 2026 at 12:44 AM
Speaker Mike Johnson said Monday he is moving forward with a plan to revive a prohibition on House votes to overturn President Donald Trump’s global tariffs.
www.politico.com/live-updates...
www.politico.com/live-updates...
Reposted by Joshua G. Schraiber
I can’t think of a speaker in recent history who had their power tethered to a president the way Johnson has it with Trump. Pelosi, Hastert and even Ryan created some daylight between the president and the lower chamber.
February 10, 2026 at 1:58 AM
I can’t think of a speaker in recent history who had their power tethered to a president the way Johnson has it with Trump. Pelosi, Hastert and even Ryan created some daylight between the president and the lower chamber.
Reposted by Joshua G. Schraiber
My own theory is that most agencies don't have RIF authority. The government reads 5 USC ch. 35 as authorizing RIFs. I read it only as a provision describing procedures necessary when Congress has authorized RIFs elsewhere. Contra 22 U.S. Code § 4010a.
February 10, 2026 at 1:15 AM
My own theory is that most agencies don't have RIF authority. The government reads 5 USC ch. 35 as authorizing RIFs. I read it only as a provision describing procedures necessary when Congress has authorized RIFs elsewhere. Contra 22 U.S. Code § 4010a.
Reposted by Joshua G. Schraiber
OPM proposes regulations to strip MSPB of jurisdiction over RIFs and suitability determinations. The result would be that no impartial body could ever hear a RIF.
February 10, 2026 at 1:15 AM
OPM proposes regulations to strip MSPB of jurisdiction over RIFs and suitability determinations. The result would be that no impartial body could ever hear a RIF.
They tortured this little kid for no fucking reason, they're just evil.
Super Bowl viewers Sunday speculated that 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos appeared in the halftime show. In fact, he has been in hiding with his family.
“He can’t sleep well at night. He wakes up three or four times a night screaming, ‘Daddy, Daddy,’” Liam's father Adrian Conejo Arias, said.
“He can’t sleep well at night. He wakes up three or four times a night screaming, ‘Daddy, Daddy,’” Liam's father Adrian Conejo Arias, said.
‘He’s not the same’: Father of Liam Conejo Ramos says 5-year-old continues to suffer
Some people thought they say the 5-year-old during the Super Bowl halftime show. But Liam is still in hiding with his family, after he and his father were detained and then released from a Texas deten...
www.mprnews.org
February 10, 2026 at 1:17 AM
They tortured this little kid for no fucking reason, they're just evil.
Reposted by Joshua G. Schraiber
This is just unspeakable.
Super Bowl viewers Sunday speculated that 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos appeared in the halftime show. In fact, he has been in hiding with his family.
“He can’t sleep well at night. He wakes up three or four times a night screaming, ‘Daddy, Daddy,’” Liam's father Adrian Conejo Arias, said.
“He can’t sleep well at night. He wakes up three or four times a night screaming, ‘Daddy, Daddy,’” Liam's father Adrian Conejo Arias, said.
‘He’s not the same’: Father of Liam Conejo Ramos says 5-year-old continues to suffer
Some people thought they say the 5-year-old during the Super Bowl halftime show. But Liam is still in hiding with his family, after he and his father were detained and then released from a Texas deten...
www.mprnews.org
February 10, 2026 at 1:15 AM
This is just unspeakable.
This shit should be impeachable in and of itself
Trump, in the middle of his latest unhinged Truth Social screed, claims that if Canada makes a trade deal with China, "the first thing China will do is terminate ALL Ice Hockey being played in Canada, and permanently eliminate The Stanley Cup."
February 10, 2026 at 12:34 AM
This shit should be impeachable in and of itself
Reposted by Joshua G. Schraiber
I am struggling to think of any country this describes that doesn’t *also* let homeless people die on the street.
I've been to some countries where people live under military rule or autocracy. And without fail, one of the questions I get when they ask about life in the U.S. is whether it's true that Americans just let homeless people die on the street.
During freezing temperatures in Port Arthur, Texas, a 61-year-old homeless man was found dead in his wheelchair outside a convenience store.
He was wearing a hospital gown and no shoes. Authorities say he had been released from a hospital the previous day.
This is a diseased society.
He was wearing a hospital gown and no shoes. Authorities say he had been released from a hospital the previous day.
This is a diseased society.
February 9, 2026 at 7:17 PM
I am struggling to think of any country this describes that doesn’t *also* let homeless people die on the street.
Reposted by Joshua G. Schraiber
This is part of a pattern that is impeachable: Trump cuts previously appropriated Congressional funds, but only to states led by Democrats (California, Colorado, Illinois and Minnesota).
The Trump administration plans to rescind $600 million in public health funds from four states led by Democrats because it finds the grants “inconsistent with agency priorities,” according to documents reviewed by the NYT
Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/h...
Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/h...
Trump Administration to Cut $600 Million in Health Funding From Four States
www.nytimes.com
February 9, 2026 at 11:12 PM
This is part of a pattern that is impeachable: Trump cuts previously appropriated Congressional funds, but only to states led by Democrats (California, Colorado, Illinois and Minnesota).
Reposted by Joshua G. Schraiber
NEW: An immigration court has terminated removal proceedings against Tufts doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk, finding that DHS did not meet its burden of establishing that she was removable, her lawyers tell the Second Circuit. live-awp-vermont.pantheonsite.io/app/uploads/...
February 9, 2026 at 11:38 PM
NEW: An immigration court has terminated removal proceedings against Tufts doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk, finding that DHS did not meet its burden of establishing that she was removable, her lawyers tell the Second Circuit. live-awp-vermont.pantheonsite.io/app/uploads/...
Reposted by Joshua G. Schraiber
As a botanist, this isn’t funny. Plants are sessile and only do this when they’re in extreme distress
February 9, 2026 at 11:32 PM
As a botanist, this isn’t funny. Plants are sessile and only do this when they’re in extreme distress
Reposted by Joshua G. Schraiber
So many things are going wrong.
So many more things are going to go wrong.
So many more things are going to go wrong.
Wow. 733 measles cases so far this year. At this rate, 2026 will far exceed 2025, the worst year for measles in decades
Only 6 cases this year were imported from abroad. This is a domestic problem that will grow FAR worse when the babies going unvaccinated on RFK's watch admin go to kindergarten.
Only 6 cases this year were imported from abroad. This is a domestic problem that will grow FAR worse when the babies going unvaccinated on RFK's watch admin go to kindergarten.
February 9, 2026 at 10:17 PM
So many things are going wrong.
So many more things are going to go wrong.
So many more things are going to go wrong.
Reposted by Joshua G. Schraiber
Lurching towards Prop 13 for road infrastructure.
February 9, 2026 at 9:51 PM
Lurching towards Prop 13 for road infrastructure.
Reposted by Joshua G. Schraiber
New short blogpost!
There are probably many benefits of sharing clinical trial data, including:
Verifying results, better meta-analysis, understanding inconsistent results, further exploration, better clinical decision-making, learning how to run trials better, and reducing redundancy.
There are probably many benefits of sharing clinical trial data, including:
Verifying results, better meta-analysis, understanding inconsistent results, further exploration, better clinical decision-making, learning how to run trials better, and reducing redundancy.
The case for sharing clinical trial data
The story behind the first statin and how its development was almost derailed, and the implications of sharing clinical trial data.
abundanceandgrowthblog.substack.com
February 9, 2026 at 10:04 PM
New short blogpost!
There are probably many benefits of sharing clinical trial data, including:
Verifying results, better meta-analysis, understanding inconsistent results, further exploration, better clinical decision-making, learning how to run trials better, and reducing redundancy.
There are probably many benefits of sharing clinical trial data, including:
Verifying results, better meta-analysis, understanding inconsistent results, further exploration, better clinical decision-making, learning how to run trials better, and reducing redundancy.
Reposted by Joshua G. Schraiber
Whenever I see "natural" in reference to human health, I reach for my gun.
Suffering from infectious disease is "natural." Being parasitized by fly larvae is "natural." Dying of malnutrition is "natural."
Every human life saved by science is a middle finger in the face of a cruel, heartless world.
Suffering from infectious disease is "natural." Being parasitized by fly larvae is "natural." Dying of malnutrition is "natural."
Every human life saved by science is a middle finger in the face of a cruel, heartless world.
The golden rice situation makes me *SO* sad.
It's estimated a THIRD of people worldwide are Vitamin A deficient, which can cause permanent damage to the eyes — in many cases full-on blindness.
We created a perfect solution to this problem, but oh no, it's "unnatural"
It's estimated a THIRD of people worldwide are Vitamin A deficient, which can cause permanent damage to the eyes — in many cases full-on blindness.
We created a perfect solution to this problem, but oh no, it's "unnatural"
Same anti-science people who'd rather see people starve, than endorse GMOs. Because, hurr durr, Capitalism bad, science bad, therefore, hurr durr, golden rice bad and an unnatural abomination!
February 9, 2026 at 9:26 PM
Whenever I see "natural" in reference to human health, I reach for my gun.
Suffering from infectious disease is "natural." Being parasitized by fly larvae is "natural." Dying of malnutrition is "natural."
Every human life saved by science is a middle finger in the face of a cruel, heartless world.
Suffering from infectious disease is "natural." Being parasitized by fly larvae is "natural." Dying of malnutrition is "natural."
Every human life saved by science is a middle finger in the face of a cruel, heartless world.
Reposted by Joshua G. Schraiber
The golden rice situation makes me *SO* sad.
It's estimated a THIRD of people worldwide are Vitamin A deficient, which can cause permanent damage to the eyes — in many cases full-on blindness.
We created a perfect solution to this problem, but oh no, it's "unnatural"
It's estimated a THIRD of people worldwide are Vitamin A deficient, which can cause permanent damage to the eyes — in many cases full-on blindness.
We created a perfect solution to this problem, but oh no, it's "unnatural"
Same anti-science people who'd rather see people starve, than endorse GMOs. Because, hurr durr, Capitalism bad, science bad, therefore, hurr durr, golden rice bad and an unnatural abomination!
February 9, 2026 at 9:12 PM
The golden rice situation makes me *SO* sad.
It's estimated a THIRD of people worldwide are Vitamin A deficient, which can cause permanent damage to the eyes — in many cases full-on blindness.
We created a perfect solution to this problem, but oh no, it's "unnatural"
It's estimated a THIRD of people worldwide are Vitamin A deficient, which can cause permanent damage to the eyes — in many cases full-on blindness.
We created a perfect solution to this problem, but oh no, it's "unnatural"
"Panican" is like one of those jokes I think is gonna hit hard when it's in my mind and then it comes out of my mouth and I immediately regret it.
February 9, 2026 at 9:20 PM
"Panican" is like one of those jokes I think is gonna hit hard when it's in my mind and then it comes out of my mouth and I immediately regret it.
Reposted by Joshua G. Schraiber
It wasnt about losing tax revenue but rather Albany, being pretentious, had the same anti-elevated track revolt that Berkeley later did. They wanted either a subway or for BART to use I-80. The Mayor felt Marin Ave station would destroy the neighborhood so they pushed it to El Cerrito Plaza.
February 9, 2026 at 8:28 PM
It wasnt about losing tax revenue but rather Albany, being pretentious, had the same anti-elevated track revolt that Berkeley later did. They wanted either a subway or for BART to use I-80. The Mayor felt Marin Ave station would destroy the neighborhood so they pushed it to El Cerrito Plaza.
Reposted by Joshua G. Schraiber
The modern world cannot exist without industrial agriculture and globalized trade. There are numerous countries who do not have the arable land to be food autarkic even if they tried and are forced to import food.
How many of them are you okay with starving to death?
How many of them are you okay with starving to death?
February 9, 2026 at 8:39 PM
The modern world cannot exist without industrial agriculture and globalized trade. There are numerous countries who do not have the arable land to be food autarkic even if they tried and are forced to import food.
How many of them are you okay with starving to death?
How many of them are you okay with starving to death?
Reposted by Joshua G. Schraiber
Whenever you see someone talking about "retvrning to pre-industrial methods of agriculture" you need to bluntly ask them how many people should starve to death to serve this goal.
February 9, 2026 at 8:39 PM
Whenever you see someone talking about "retvrning to pre-industrial methods of agriculture" you need to bluntly ask them how many people should starve to death to serve this goal.
Reposted by Joshua G. Schraiber
I have immense respect for indigenous cultures. However, it is deeply impractical to feed 8+ billion people sustainably and reliably without high-tech industrial agriculture.
Ultimately, this is just reactionary, conservative pastoralism wrapped in leftist framing.
Ultimately, this is just reactionary, conservative pastoralism wrapped in leftist framing.
February 9, 2026 at 8:34 PM
I have immense respect for indigenous cultures. However, it is deeply impractical to feed 8+ billion people sustainably and reliably without high-tech industrial agriculture.
Ultimately, this is just reactionary, conservative pastoralism wrapped in leftist framing.
Ultimately, this is just reactionary, conservative pastoralism wrapped in leftist framing.
Reposted by Joshua G. Schraiber
This. Theories of Trump stealing the midterms that start with assuming control of the House all comes down to a few very close races isn’t really a theory of Trump stealing the midterms.
It’s basically the 2020 plot, which was in one race, not many, and thwarted by Biden winning by multiple states.
It’s basically the 2020 plot, which was in one race, not many, and thwarted by Biden winning by multiple states.
This would be terrifying if control was actually going to come down to a small number of closer races. But it’s not, and nobody frothing into a panic over it will internalize that load bearing part of the speculation.
Over the past three weeks, the "nightmare scenario" for November's midterms has grown more plausible www.vox.com/politics/478...
February 9, 2026 at 7:22 PM
This. Theories of Trump stealing the midterms that start with assuming control of the House all comes down to a few very close races isn’t really a theory of Trump stealing the midterms.
It’s basically the 2020 plot, which was in one race, not many, and thwarted by Biden winning by multiple states.
It’s basically the 2020 plot, which was in one race, not many, and thwarted by Biden winning by multiple states.