Kim Bellard
@kimbbellard.bsky.social
Just a curious guy. I write a little, usually on Medium. Health care, tech, the future - those kinds of things.
Fascinating.
One of the biggest questions in biology is how complex cells evolved about 2 billion years ago. Here's my new story on how scientists are solving the mystery of eukaryotes like us. Gift link: nyti.ms/4qMbo22
February 18, 2026 at 9:25 PM
Fascinating.
As both a human and someone who (long ago) majored in math, I'm relieved that the "First Proof" math challenge is aimed at AI. 🙄
medium.com/@kimbellard/...
medium.com/@kimbellard/...
Math May Be AI’s Final Frontier
When IBM’s DeepBlue beat Garry Kasparov in chess some 30 years ago, that was a wake-up call about AI, but many assumed it had just…
medium.com
February 18, 2026 at 4:04 PM
As both a human and someone who (long ago) majored in math, I'm relieved that the "First Proof" math challenge is aimed at AI. 🙄
medium.com/@kimbellard/...
medium.com/@kimbellard/...
Read this!
"It’s as if we’re watching two versions of the same scene. In one, the ice holds, because it always has. In the other, a lot of people go under."
Bernie Sanders: "But here is the simple question: Who is going to benefit from this transformation?”
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
"It’s as if we’re watching two versions of the same scene. In one, the ice holds, because it always has. In the other, a lot of people go under."
Bernie Sanders: "But here is the simple question: Who is going to benefit from this transformation?”
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
America Isn’t Ready for What AI Will Do to Jobs
Does anyone have a plan for what happens next?
www.theatlantic.com
February 17, 2026 at 7:19 PM
Read this!
"It’s as if we’re watching two versions of the same scene. In one, the ice holds, because it always has. In the other, a lot of people go under."
Bernie Sanders: "But here is the simple question: Who is going to benefit from this transformation?”
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
"It’s as if we’re watching two versions of the same scene. In one, the ice holds, because it always has. In the other, a lot of people go under."
Bernie Sanders: "But here is the simple question: Who is going to benefit from this transformation?”
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
“While we cannot dismiss the possibility that some RC tears may contribute to shoulder symptoms, our findings indicate that we are currently unable to distinguish clinically meaningful MRI abnormalities from incidental findings."
😲
😲
The finding calls into question the growing use of MRIs to try to diagnose shoulder pain, and, in turn, the growing problem of overtreatment of rotator cuff abnormalities.
99% of adults over 40 have shoulder "abnormalities" on an MRI, study finds
Some adults over 40 have shoulder pain, but nearly all have "abnormal" joints.
arstechnica.com
February 17, 2026 at 7:00 PM
“While we cannot dismiss the possibility that some RC tears may contribute to shoulder symptoms, our findings indicate that we are currently unable to distinguish clinically meaningful MRI abnormalities from incidental findings."
😲
😲
AI can play chess or Go better than humans. It can write a poem or draw a picture like a human. It can pass bar exams or medical licensing exams. But can it develop math proofs?
@emollick.bsky.social @erikbryn.bsky.social @mims.bsky.social @yuriquintana.com
medium.com/@kimbellard/...
@emollick.bsky.social @erikbryn.bsky.social @mims.bsky.social @yuriquintana.com
medium.com/@kimbellard/...
Math May Be AI’s Final Frontier
When IBM’s DeepBlue beat Garry Kasparov in chess some 30 years ago, that was a wake-up call about AI, but many assumed it had just…
medium.com
February 17, 2026 at 3:29 PM
AI can play chess or Go better than humans. It can write a poem or draw a picture like a human. It can pass bar exams or medical licensing exams. But can it develop math proofs?
@emollick.bsky.social @erikbryn.bsky.social @mims.bsky.social @yuriquintana.com
medium.com/@kimbellard/...
@emollick.bsky.social @erikbryn.bsky.social @mims.bsky.social @yuriquintana.com
medium.com/@kimbellard/...
Many Americans may believe that Democrats support science and Republicans don’t—but research suggests that although the Trump administration’s hostility toward science is real, it isn’t matched by the rest of the GOP's, Alexander Furnas and Dashun Wang write.
The Republicans Made Peace With Science
The Trump administration’s hostility to science is real, but it isn’t matched by the rest of the GOP’s.
bit.ly
February 17, 2026 at 3:16 PM
🤔
DHS seems to be turning the federal government into a vast digital dragnet for spying on U.S. citizens, feels like this should be a bigger story (seriously, who has angles on this they think I should write about?)
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/t...
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/t...
Homeland Security Wants Social Media Sites to Expose Anti-ICE Accounts
www.nytimes.com
February 17, 2026 at 3:15 PM
🤔
🙄
President Trump required hospitals to post their prices online to help patients shop. But it’s mostly hospitals and insurers using the data, as fodder for contract negotiations.
“There’s no evidence that patients use this information,” said one health economist.
@dariustahir.bsky.social reports ⤵️
“There’s no evidence that patients use this information,” said one health economist.
@dariustahir.bsky.social reports ⤵️
Trump Required Hospitals To Post Their Prices for Patients. Mostly It’s the Industry Using the Data. - KFF Health News
Politicians have pushed for price transparency in health care. But instead of patients shopping for services, it’s mostly health systems and insurers that are using the information, as fodder for nego...
kffhealthnews.org
February 17, 2026 at 3:13 PM
🙄
We know some AI models are showing surprising amounts of creativity, but how about when it comes to math? Several mathematicians have issued a "First Proof" challenge to find out
@stanfordhai.bsky.social @caltech.edu @imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social @harvard.edu
kimbellard.medium.com/math-may-be-...
@stanfordhai.bsky.social @caltech.edu @imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social @harvard.edu
kimbellard.medium.com/math-may-be-...
Math May Be AI’s Final Frontier
When IBM’s DeepBlue beat Garry Kasparov in chess some 30 years ago, that was a wake-up call about AI, but many assumed it had just…
kimbellard.medium.com
February 16, 2026 at 9:12 PM
We know some AI models are showing surprising amounts of creativity, but how about when it comes to math? Several mathematicians have issued a "First Proof" challenge to find out
@stanfordhai.bsky.social @caltech.edu @imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social @harvard.edu
kimbellard.medium.com/math-may-be-...
@stanfordhai.bsky.social @caltech.edu @imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social @harvard.edu
kimbellard.medium.com/math-may-be-...
😲
NEW: Oklahoma regulators discovered strong signs of oil pollution, including high levels of salt and toxic metals, in one family’s drinking water.
But for two years, they repeatedly delayed basic tests to find the culprit — then closed the case.
With @readfrontier.bsky.social
But for two years, they repeatedly delayed basic tests to find the culprit — then closed the case.
With @readfrontier.bsky.social
Salty, Oily Drinking Water Left Sores in Their Mouths. Oklahoma Refused to Find Out Why.
State regulators discovered strong signs of oil pollution, including high levels of salt and toxic metals, in one family’s drinking water. But for two years, they repeatedly delayed basic tests to fin...
www.propublica.org
February 13, 2026 at 1:19 AM
😲
😡
Trump Administration Erases the Government’s Power to Fight Climate Change www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/c...
Trump Administration Erases the Government’s Power to Fight Climate Change www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/c...
Trump Administration Erases the Government’s Power to Fight Climate Change
www.nytimes.com
February 13, 2026 at 12:55 AM
😡
Trump Administration Erases the Government’s Power to Fight Climate Change www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/c...
Trump Administration Erases the Government’s Power to Fight Climate Change www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/c...
You'd think this is good news, but if you care about health care spending or health insurance premiums, it is not. 😲
www.wsj.com/economy/jobs...
www.wsj.com/economy/jobs...
Healthcare Jobs Have Become the Engine of America’s Labor Market
Demand for healthcare workers is outstripping all other sectors. That means big changes in a labor market where retail and white-collar hiring have stalled.
www.wsj.com
February 12, 2026 at 2:54 PM
You'd think this is good news, but if you care about health care spending or health insurance premiums, it is not. 😲
www.wsj.com/economy/jobs...
www.wsj.com/economy/jobs...
But, no, of course they weren't pressured by the WH. 🙄
Gallup to stop tracking presidential approval ratings after 8 decades share.google/8OqlJJfMYTsL...
Gallup to stop tracking presidential approval ratings after 8 decades share.google/8OqlJJfMYTsL...
share.google
February 11, 2026 at 8:11 PM
But, no, of course they weren't pressured by the WH. 🙄
Gallup to stop tracking presidential approval ratings after 8 decades share.google/8OqlJJfMYTsL...
Gallup to stop tracking presidential approval ratings after 8 decades share.google/8OqlJJfMYTsL...
You know they talk about us, right?
😏
Microbiomes interconnect on a planetary scale, new study finds share.google/pt0aDHgjmsy6...
😏
Microbiomes interconnect on a planetary scale, new study finds share.google/pt0aDHgjmsy6...
Microbiomes interconnect on a planetary scale, new study finds
In a new study published in Cell, scientists in the Bork Group at EMBL Heidelberg reveal that microbes living in similar habitats are more alike than those simply inhabiting the same geographical regi...
share.google
February 11, 2026 at 8:08 PM
You know they talk about us, right?
😏
Microbiomes interconnect on a planetary scale, new study finds share.google/pt0aDHgjmsy6...
😏
Microbiomes interconnect on a planetary scale, new study finds share.google/pt0aDHgjmsy6...
Have federal officials' recent statements about, and recommendations for, vaccines made you lose confidence in those officials and their agencies? Join the club. 😒
kimbellard.medium.com/trust-no-one...
kimbellard.medium.com/trust-no-one...
Trust No One
You know, it’s gotten to the point when I just try to tune out the things Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says. “Schizophrenia can be cured with a…
kimbellard.medium.com
February 11, 2026 at 5:40 PM
Have federal officials' recent statements about, and recommendations for, vaccines made you lose confidence in those officials and their agencies? Join the club. 😒
kimbellard.medium.com/trust-no-one...
kimbellard.medium.com/trust-no-one...
😔
Too few people know about this:
Musk caused hundreds of thousands of deaths with DOGE by cutting USAID.
More people have died because of this than in Gaza.
Musk and the people involved in DOGE must be held accountable
Musk caused hundreds of thousands of deaths with DOGE by cutting USAID.
More people have died because of this than in Gaza.
Musk and the people involved in DOGE must be held accountable
February 11, 2026 at 2:58 PM
😔
😡
Bezos could have saved the Washington Post’s local news and sports reporters
Bezos could have saved WaPo’s sports and local journalists. He laid them off instead.
“The equation isn’t adding up.”
buff.ly
February 11, 2026 at 1:36 AM
😡
Sounds about right, sadly enough. 😔
(CNN) - The United States has fallen to its worst-ever position in a leading global index that measures perception of corruption in the public sector among independent experts and businesspeople.
@cnn.com
www.cnn.com/2026/02/10/b...
@cnn.com
www.cnn.com/2026/02/10/b...
February 10, 2026 at 8:55 PM
Sounds about right, sadly enough. 😔
RFK Jr.'s efforts to "Make America Healthy Again" seem to mostly be causing people to lose confidence in the agencies he now oversees.
@emmabethmcginty.bsky.social @sjbecker.bsky.social @meganranney.bsky.social
medium.com/@kimbellard/...
@emmabethmcginty.bsky.social @sjbecker.bsky.social @meganranney.bsky.social
medium.com/@kimbellard/...
Trust No One
You know, it’s gotten to the point when I just try to tune out the things Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says. “Schizophrenia can be cured with a…
medium.com
February 10, 2026 at 3:50 PM
RFK Jr.'s efforts to "Make America Healthy Again" seem to mostly be causing people to lose confidence in the agencies he now oversees.
@emmabethmcginty.bsky.social @sjbecker.bsky.social @meganranney.bsky.social
medium.com/@kimbellard/...
@emmabethmcginty.bsky.social @sjbecker.bsky.social @meganranney.bsky.social
medium.com/@kimbellard/...
According to a new poll from @kff.org , trust in the CDC has dropped significantly. Gosh, I wonder why. 🙄
H/T @drewaltman.bsky.social @larrylevitt.bsky.social
kimbellard.medium.com/trust-no-one...
H/T @drewaltman.bsky.social @larrylevitt.bsky.social
kimbellard.medium.com/trust-no-one...
Trust No One
You know, it’s gotten to the point when I just try to tune out the things Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says. “Schizophrenia can be cured with a…
kimbellard.medium.com
February 9, 2026 at 10:58 PM
According to a new poll from @kff.org , trust in the CDC has dropped significantly. Gosh, I wonder why. 🙄
H/T @drewaltman.bsky.social @larrylevitt.bsky.social
kimbellard.medium.com/trust-no-one...
H/T @drewaltman.bsky.social @larrylevitt.bsky.social
kimbellard.medium.com/trust-no-one...
😔
One year into President Trump’s second term, KFF’s latest poll finds that less than half of adults (44%) express confidence in U.S. federal health agencies to make recommendations about the childhood vaccine schedule. https://on.kff.org/4awjeI1
February 9, 2026 at 6:25 PM
😔
Opinion | These Three Red States Are the Best Hope in Schooling
www.nytimes.com
February 9, 2026 at 2:46 PM
😲
Nearly 40% of new cancer cases worldwide are potentially preventable, according to one of the first investigations of its kind
go.nature.com/3ZmJluH
go.nature.com/3ZmJluH
Over one-third of cancer cases are preventable, massive study finds
Nature - A large fraction of cancers are linked to two modifiable habits: tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption.
go.nature.com
February 8, 2026 at 3:15 PM
😲
