Laura Dattaro
@ldattaro.bsky.social
Freelance journalist, covering science, health, and sometimes baby sharks. Comms/admin for @sciencewriting.bsky.social.
Lauradattaro.com | LDattaro.73 on Signal
Lauradattaro.com | LDattaro.73 on Signal
Reposted by Laura Dattaro
“I’ve been working in the lab and am paying close attention to every single thing. . . . I’m savoring every moment, in case these are my last ones.” @juliekovacs.bsky.social 🧪⚗️
cen.acs.org/policy/resea...
cen.acs.org/policy/resea...
For chemists in academia, federal shutdown compounds stress
The nearly monthlong stoppage of government activity is disrupting an already-chaotic funding year
cen.acs.org
October 30, 2025 at 9:38 PM
“I’ve been working in the lab and am paying close attention to every single thing. . . . I’m savoring every moment, in case these are my last ones.” @juliekovacs.bsky.social 🧪⚗️
cen.acs.org/policy/resea...
cen.acs.org/policy/resea...
In my first piece for @cenmag.bsky.social, I talked to chemists about the stress of the federal shutdown.
As @levinchem.bsky.social told me: "You keep layering on all of these delays and disruptions to the whole grant funding process, and it compounds over time."
cen.acs.org/policy/resea...
As @levinchem.bsky.social told me: "You keep layering on all of these delays and disruptions to the whole grant funding process, and it compounds over time."
cen.acs.org/policy/resea...
For chemists in academia, federal shutdown compounds stress
The nearly monthlong stoppage of government activity is disrupting an already-chaotic funding year
cen.acs.org
November 3, 2025 at 4:17 PM
In my first piece for @cenmag.bsky.social, I talked to chemists about the stress of the federal shutdown.
As @levinchem.bsky.social told me: "You keep layering on all of these delays and disruptions to the whole grant funding process, and it compounds over time."
cen.acs.org/policy/resea...
As @levinchem.bsky.social told me: "You keep layering on all of these delays and disruptions to the whole grant funding process, and it compounds over time."
cen.acs.org/policy/resea...
Reposted by Laura Dattaro
Earlier this month, @rjionline.bsky.social and TON launched the Science Reporting Navigator, and we are SO EXCITED to have it out in the world for journalists, no matter their beat, to take advantage of free resources for incorporating evidence into their reporting. From lessons to interview Qs. 🧪
Science Reporting Navigator - The Open Notebook
Bring Scientific Evidence into Any Beat Every story is a science story. From education and public health to transportation and local policy, science intersects with every beat journalists cover. The S...
www.theopennotebook.com
October 28, 2025 at 9:29 PM
Earlier this month, @rjionline.bsky.social and TON launched the Science Reporting Navigator, and we are SO EXCITED to have it out in the world for journalists, no matter their beat, to take advantage of free resources for incorporating evidence into their reporting. From lessons to interview Qs. 🧪
Hi #chemsky! I'm working on a story about how the shutdown is affecting chemists. Get in touch:
www.lauradattaro.com/contact
LDattaro.73 on Signal
www.lauradattaro.com/contact
LDattaro.73 on Signal
October 24, 2025 at 11:17 PM
Hi #chemsky! I'm working on a story about how the shutdown is affecting chemists. Get in touch:
www.lauradattaro.com/contact
LDattaro.73 on Signal
www.lauradattaro.com/contact
LDattaro.73 on Signal
Reposted by Laura Dattaro
15 years ago today, TON began as a simple idea: to improve the craft of science journalism by connecting people and providing freely accessible resources to anyone who wanted them. And for our birthday, we’re asking for your help achieving a big goal: to raise $10,000 by midnight. 🧪 #TON15
The Open Notebook's 15th Anniversary - The Open Notebook
For 15 years, The Open Notebook has been the trusted home for journalists worldwide who cover science. What started as an experiment to demystify the craft of science writing has grown into a vital, g...
www.theopennotebook.com
October 24, 2025 at 1:57 PM
15 years ago today, TON began as a simple idea: to improve the craft of science journalism by connecting people and providing freely accessible resources to anyone who wanted them. And for our birthday, we’re asking for your help achieving a big goal: to raise $10,000 by midnight. 🧪 #TON15
Reposted by Laura Dattaro
There's just one week left to register for #SciWri25! Join hundreds of your colleagues in Chicago for New Horizons science briefings, @sciencewriters.org professional development sessions, field trips, networking lunches, and more.
sciencewriters2025.org/register/
sciencewriters2025.org/register/
The program for #SciWri25 is live! Check out CASW's New Horizons sessions, on topics including:
💉 countering vaccine misinformation
🪴 environmental and public health impacts of AI
🌎 brain drain among US-based scientists
🧬 origins of life in an RNA world
sciencewriters2025.org/schedule/
💉 countering vaccine misinformation
🪴 environmental and public health impacts of AI
🌎 brain drain among US-based scientists
🧬 origins of life in an RNA world
sciencewriters2025.org/schedule/
Schedule - ScienceWriters2025
sciencewriters2025.org
October 15, 2025 at 3:13 PM
There's just one week left to register for #SciWri25! Join hundreds of your colleagues in Chicago for New Horizons science briefings, @sciencewriters.org professional development sessions, field trips, networking lunches, and more.
sciencewriters2025.org/register/
sciencewriters2025.org/register/
Reposted by Laura Dattaro
Tomorrow! Don't miss our Connector Chat about covering cuts, changes, and chaos in federal science funding. Featuring @stephaniemlee.bsky.social, @katherinejwu.com, and @scott-delaney.bsky.social.
Can't make it? Register to get the recording and tipsheet after the event.
bit.ly/casw-funding
Can't make it? Register to get the recording and tipsheet after the event.
bit.ly/casw-funding
October 8, 2025 at 11:53 PM
Tomorrow! Don't miss our Connector Chat about covering cuts, changes, and chaos in federal science funding. Featuring @stephaniemlee.bsky.social, @katherinejwu.com, and @scott-delaney.bsky.social.
Can't make it? Register to get the recording and tipsheet after the event.
bit.ly/casw-funding
Can't make it? Register to get the recording and tipsheet after the event.
bit.ly/casw-funding
Reposted by Laura Dattaro
It took more than a decade to trace the 130,000 connections in a fruit fly's brain. With the map in hand, researchers are turning to the next step in connectomics: building simulations.
By @ldattaro.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/connectome/c...
By @ldattaro.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/connectome/c...
Connectomics 2.0: Simulating the brain
With a complete fly connectome in hand, researchers are taking the next step to model how brain circuits fuel function.
www.thetransmitter.org
October 7, 2025 at 2:15 PM
It took more than a decade to trace the 130,000 connections in a fruit fly's brain. With the map in hand, researchers are turning to the next step in connectomics: building simulations.
By @ldattaro.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/connectome/c...
By @ldattaro.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/connectome/c...
Reposted by Laura Dattaro
Today, #SCOTUS will rule on a conversion therapy ban in CO. If you're a journalist covering the case, make sure to check out this free resource we created in partnership with @transjournalists.org to help you engage in responsible, evidence-based reporting.
Resources for Evidence-Based Reporting on Transgender Communities - The Open Notebook
Many of the issues that affect transgender people—such as gender-affirming medical care, educational policy, sports participation, military service, gender-motivated hate crime, and workplace discrimi...
www.theopennotebook.com
October 7, 2025 at 2:27 PM
Today, #SCOTUS will rule on a conversion therapy ban in CO. If you're a journalist covering the case, make sure to check out this free resource we created in partnership with @transjournalists.org to help you engage in responsible, evidence-based reporting.
Reposted by Laura Dattaro
🚨 The deadline for applying to the ComSciCon workshop has been extended! Get your apps in by tomorrow, October 7 at 11:59pm ET
Don't forget: Applications for the 2025 ComSciCon-SciWri workshop are due this Friday, 10/3!
#SciWri25
#SciWri25
Are you a #STEM researcher interested in developing your #scicomm skills, network, and publication portfolio?
Apply to the 8th annual ComSciCon-SciWri workshop (November 7-9), associated with the #SciWri2025 conference in Chicago, IL!
Learn more: comscicon.org/chapter-work...
Apply by Oct. 3!
Apply to the 8th annual ComSciCon-SciWri workshop (November 7-9), associated with the #SciWri2025 conference in Chicago, IL!
Learn more: comscicon.org/chapter-work...
Apply by Oct. 3!
October 6, 2025 at 1:46 PM
🚨 The deadline for applying to the ComSciCon workshop has been extended! Get your apps in by tomorrow, October 7 at 11:59pm ET
Reposted by Laura Dattaro
Connector Chats are back! Join us 10/9 for a discussion about covering chaos in federal science funding, with
@stephaniemlee.bsky.social, @katherinejwu.com, and @scott-delaney.bsky.social.
Can't make it? Register to get the recording and tipsheet after the event.
bit.ly/casw-funding
@stephaniemlee.bsky.social, @katherinejwu.com, and @scott-delaney.bsky.social.
Can't make it? Register to get the recording and tipsheet after the event.
bit.ly/casw-funding
October 6, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Connector Chats are back! Join us 10/9 for a discussion about covering chaos in federal science funding, with
@stephaniemlee.bsky.social, @katherinejwu.com, and @scott-delaney.bsky.social.
Can't make it? Register to get the recording and tipsheet after the event.
bit.ly/casw-funding
@stephaniemlee.bsky.social, @katherinejwu.com, and @scott-delaney.bsky.social.
Can't make it? Register to get the recording and tipsheet after the event.
bit.ly/casw-funding
Reposted by Laura Dattaro
Covering null results can help reporters contribute to a more accurate view of science and the world, writes @bwfund.bsky.social early-career fellow Lucila Pinto in TON’s latest, with insights from @vcallier.bsky.social, @ldattaro.bsky.social, @claricecudi.bsky.social and others. 🧪
Covering Null Results: How to Turn “Nothing” into News - The Open Notebook
Null results—those that contradict a study’s original hypothesis or fail to find a cause-and-effect link between variables—can be easy to dismiss as non-news but may lead to valuable stories that show...
www.theopennotebook.com
September 30, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Covering null results can help reporters contribute to a more accurate view of science and the world, writes @bwfund.bsky.social early-career fellow Lucila Pinto in TON’s latest, with insights from @vcallier.bsky.social, @ldattaro.bsky.social, @claricecudi.bsky.social and others. 🧪
Reposted by Laura Dattaro
Thanks to @ldattaro.bsky.social for this lovely write-up of Getting Better.
If this sparks your interest, you can get the book open access here: policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/getting-better
@profkatsmith.bsky.social @profbambra.bsky.social @pennldi.bsky.social @pennaging.bsky.social
If this sparks your interest, you can get the book open access here: policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/getting-better
@profkatsmith.bsky.social @profbambra.bsky.social @pennldi.bsky.social @pennaging.bsky.social
Hope for a Healthier World
With a new book, Professor of Political Science Julia Lynch and colleagues offer legislators a roadmap for reducing health inequality.
omnia.sas.upenn.edu
September 25, 2025 at 2:56 PM
Thanks to @ldattaro.bsky.social for this lovely write-up of Getting Better.
If this sparks your interest, you can get the book open access here: policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/getting-better
@profkatsmith.bsky.social @profbambra.bsky.social @pennldi.bsky.social @pennaging.bsky.social
If this sparks your interest, you can get the book open access here: policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/getting-better
@profkatsmith.bsky.social @profbambra.bsky.social @pennldi.bsky.social @pennaging.bsky.social
Reposted by Laura Dattaro
The president's recommendations could put children in harm's way.
Even if clinical guidance does not change, pregnant people risk hurting themselves and their children when they run fevers and do not treat them.
This is a completely avoidable & self-inflicted public health crisis in the making.
Even if clinical guidance does not change, pregnant people risk hurting themselves and their children when they run fevers and do not treat them.
This is a completely avoidable & self-inflicted public health crisis in the making.
At a Monday press conference, President Donald Trump issued a warning: “Don’t take Tylenol if you’re pregnant.”
Doctors say it’s safe to use acetaminophen, the main ingredient in Tylenol, to reduce fever and pain during pregnancy. 🧵https://buff.ly/YY9G6hW
Doctors say it’s safe to use acetaminophen, the main ingredient in Tylenol, to reduce fever and pain during pregnancy. 🧵https://buff.ly/YY9G6hW
5 things to know about autism and Tylenol during pregnancy
During pregnancy, acetaminophen — the main ingredient in Tylenol — is generally considered a safe painkiller and fever reducer. Research hasn’t shown that it causes autism.
buff.ly
September 22, 2025 at 11:10 PM
The president's recommendations could put children in harm's way.
Even if clinical guidance does not change, pregnant people risk hurting themselves and their children when they run fevers and do not treat them.
This is a completely avoidable & self-inflicted public health crisis in the making.
Even if clinical guidance does not change, pregnant people risk hurting themselves and their children when they run fevers and do not treat them.
This is a completely avoidable & self-inflicted public health crisis in the making.
I really appreciate this guide to talking to journalists, particularly the part explaining why journalists want to hear from you even if you need to be anonymous or off the record. It's true, we really do!
www.your-rif-story.com/resources/sa...
www.your-rif-story.com/resources/sa...
September 3, 2025 at 5:51 PM
I really appreciate this guide to talking to journalists, particularly the part explaining why journalists want to hear from you even if you need to be anonymous or off the record. It's true, we really do!
www.your-rif-story.com/resources/sa...
www.your-rif-story.com/resources/sa...
A synthetic molecule may be a new approach for drugs targeting epilepsy, cardiac arrhythmia, and other health problems related to the flow of power through the body. My latest for The Scientist, on work from @manubenjohny.bsky.social
www.the-scientist.com/synthetic-pe...
www.the-scientist.com/synthetic-pe...
Synthetic Peptide Calms Overactive Electrical Channels in Cells
A new molecule helped normalize the ion flow that is disrupted in conditions like arrhythmia and epilepsy, offering a path to better drugs for the conditions.
www.the-scientist.com
September 3, 2025 at 5:37 PM
A synthetic molecule may be a new approach for drugs targeting epilepsy, cardiac arrhythmia, and other health problems related to the flow of power through the body. My latest for The Scientist, on work from @manubenjohny.bsky.social
www.the-scientist.com/synthetic-pe...
www.the-scientist.com/synthetic-pe...
Sadly this will be the last issue of Null and Noteworthy. It was a great ride!
Some neurons respond more strongly to visual stimuli than others. But the rest of the brain doesn’t prioritize signals from those neurons, according to a new study. Read more in this month’s Null and Noteworthy.
By @ldattaro.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/null-and-not...
By @ldattaro.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/null-and-not...
Null and Noteworthy: Downstream brain areas read visual cortex signals en masse in mice
The finding contradicts a theory that the regions prioritize neurons that are adept at identifying specific stimuli. Plus, a response to a study that questioned immune memory in astrocytes.
www.thetransmitter.org
August 4, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Sadly this will be the last issue of Null and Noteworthy. It was a great ride!
Reposted by Laura Dattaro
Oh! Seems like a big deal, this. Makes sense too. Like, how would the rest of the brain know which neurons to sample, and if it did already know what the stimulus is, then it wouldn't need those neurons' signals to classify it.
Some neurons respond more strongly to visual stimuli than others. But the rest of the brain doesn’t prioritize signals from those neurons, according to a new study. Read more in this month’s Null and Noteworthy.
By @ldattaro.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/null-and-not...
By @ldattaro.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/null-and-not...
Null and Noteworthy: Downstream brain areas read visual cortex signals en masse in mice
The finding contradicts a theory that the regions prioritize neurons that are adept at identifying specific stimuli. Plus, a response to a study that questioned immune memory in astrocytes.
www.thetransmitter.org
August 2, 2025 at 12:27 PM
Oh! Seems like a big deal, this. Makes sense too. Like, how would the rest of the brain know which neurons to sample, and if it did already know what the stimulus is, then it wouldn't need those neurons' signals to classify it.
Reposted by Laura Dattaro
Thanks to @thetransmitter.bsky.social and @ldattaro.bsky.social for this coverage of our recent paper!
Some neurons respond more strongly to visual stimuli than others. But the rest of the brain doesn’t prioritize signals from those neurons, according to a new study. Read more in this month’s Null and Noteworthy.
By @ldattaro.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/null-and-not...
By @ldattaro.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/null-and-not...
Null and Noteworthy: Downstream brain areas read visual cortex signals en masse in mice
The finding contradicts a theory that the regions prioritize neurons that are adept at identifying specific stimuli. Plus, a response to a study that questioned immune memory in astrocytes.
www.thetransmitter.org
August 1, 2025 at 1:56 AM
Thanks to @thetransmitter.bsky.social and @ldattaro.bsky.social for this coverage of our recent paper!
Reposted by Laura Dattaro
If you have any tips on how this is impacting disabled students, contact me via signal at juliametraux.49 www.npr.org/2025/07/01/n...
The Trump admin is withholding over $6 billion in education grants for schools
The federal grant funding traditionally goes out by July 1. It includes support for migrant education, after-school programs and English language learners.
www.npr.org
July 1, 2025 at 9:31 PM
If you have any tips on how this is impacting disabled students, contact me via signal at juliametraux.49 www.npr.org/2025/07/01/n...
Reposted by Laura Dattaro
The neurons that encode sequential information into working memory do not fire in that same order during recall, a finding that is at odds with a long-standing theory. Read more in this month’s Null and Noteworthy.
By @ldattaro.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/null-and-not...
By @ldattaro.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/null-and-not...
Null and Noteworthy: Neurons tracking sequences don’t fire in order
Instead, neurons encode the position of sequential items in working memory based on when they fire during ongoing brain wave oscillations—a finding that challenges a long-standing theory.
www.thetransmitter.org
June 30, 2025 at 4:08 PM
The neurons that encode sequential information into working memory do not fire in that same order during recall, a finding that is at odds with a long-standing theory. Read more in this month’s Null and Noteworthy.
By @ldattaro.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/null-and-not...
By @ldattaro.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/null-and-not...
Reposted by Laura Dattaro
Applications for two CASW awards are due June 30! The Clark/Payne Award honors a science journalist under age 31 and the Cohn Prize recognizes excellence in medical science reporting. Both awards include travel funds to #SciWri25.
Apply or submit a nomination: casw.submittable.com/submit
Apply or submit a nomination: casw.submittable.com/submit
Council for the Advancement of Science Writing Submission Manager
Click the appropriate "Submit" button below to submit a nomination or application for a CASW prize or fellowship or propose a Science + Science Writing session for the annual ScienceWriters conference...
casw.submittable.com
June 2, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Applications for two CASW awards are due June 30! The Clark/Payne Award honors a science journalist under age 31 and the Cohn Prize recognizes excellence in medical science reporting. Both awards include travel funds to #SciWri25.
Apply or submit a nomination: casw.submittable.com/submit
Apply or submit a nomination: casw.submittable.com/submit
Reposted by Laura Dattaro
The first published paper to emerge from @eegmanylabs.bsky.social settles a debate 20 years in the making. Read more in this month’s Null and Noteworthy.
By @ldattaro.bsky.social
www.thetransmitter.org/null-and-not...
By @ldattaro.bsky.social
www.thetransmitter.org/null-and-not...
Null and Noteworthy—Learning theory validated 20 years later
The first published paper from EEGManyLabs’ replication project nullifies a null result that had complicated a famous reinforcement learning theory.
www.thetransmitter.org
May 30, 2025 at 1:25 PM
The first published paper to emerge from @eegmanylabs.bsky.social settles a debate 20 years in the making. Read more in this month’s Null and Noteworthy.
By @ldattaro.bsky.social
www.thetransmitter.org/null-and-not...
By @ldattaro.bsky.social
www.thetransmitter.org/null-and-not...
Reposted by Laura Dattaro
STUDENTS: Join us for this summer's Perlman Virtual Mentoring Program. Participants will be paired with a professional science writer and will have the opportunity to get their work published in NASW's Student Newsroom + beyond.
Apply by May 23: www.nasw.org/article...
Apply by May 23: www.nasw.org/article...
2025 David Perlman Virtual Mentoring Program
This summer, NASW is again offering its virtual summer mentoring program for graduate and undergraduate students. The program is named for longtime science writer and past NASW president David Perlman.
www.nasw.org
May 19, 2025 at 5:27 PM
STUDENTS: Join us for this summer's Perlman Virtual Mentoring Program. Participants will be paired with a professional science writer and will have the opportunity to get their work published in NASW's Student Newsroom + beyond.
Apply by May 23: www.nasw.org/article...
Apply by May 23: www.nasw.org/article...
Reposted by Laura Dattaro
A well-done, concise write-up, recommend.
It took more than a decade to trace the 130,000 connections in a fruit fly's brain. With the map in hand, researchers are turning to the next step in connectomics: building simulations.
By @ldattaro.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/connectome/c...
By @ldattaro.bsky.social
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/connectome/c...
Connectomics 2.0: Simulating the brain
With a complete fly connectome in hand, researchers are taking the next step to model how brain circuits fuel function.
www.thetransmitter.org
May 2, 2025 at 1:33 PM
A well-done, concise write-up, recommend.