Liz Highleyman
@lizhighleyman.bsky.social
Freelance medical journalist. Science editor for @pozmagazine.bsky.social, Hep & CancerHealth. Words for aidsmap, Slate, Bay Area Reporter. Research beagle adopter.
This is dumb. We're not going to curb homelessness without building a lot more affordable housing & cities don't have the budgets to do so o their own.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/u...
Trump Administration Proposes a Drastic Cut in Housing Grants
www.nytimes.com
November 14, 2025 at 4:20 AM
This is dumb. We're not going to curb homelessness without building a lot more affordable housing & cities don't have the budgets to do so o their own.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/u...
Reposted by Liz Highleyman
Once again, the U.K. reminds me to be ever so grateful for the First Amendment
reason.com/2025/11/12/m...
Let's do a brief thread about some of the crazy sex- and speech-related proposals in the country's new crime bill
reason.com/2025/11/12/m...
Let's do a brief thread about some of the crazy sex- and speech-related proposals in the country's new crime bill
November 13, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Once again, the U.K. reminds me to be ever so grateful for the First Amendment
reason.com/2025/11/12/m...
Let's do a brief thread about some of the crazy sex- and speech-related proposals in the country's new crime bill
reason.com/2025/11/12/m...
Let's do a brief thread about some of the crazy sex- and speech-related proposals in the country's new crime bill
Reposted by Liz Highleyman
I’ve been in Toronto at the #astmh meeting these past few days and last night some very good news was presented here: A new malaria drug has proven efficacious in a large trial and could soon be approved.🧪
My story in @science.org (and 🧵on why it's important to come):
www.science.org/content/arti...
My story in @science.org (and 🧵on why it's important to come):
www.science.org/content/arti...
‘A sigh of relief’: New malaria drug succeeds in large clinical trial
As existing drugs falter because of resistance, the world gets a backup—but hard choices loom on how to use it
www.science.org
November 13, 2025 at 1:27 PM
I’ve been in Toronto at the #astmh meeting these past few days and last night some very good news was presented here: A new malaria drug has proven efficacious in a large trial and could soon be approved.🧪
My story in @science.org (and 🧵on why it's important to come):
www.science.org/content/arti...
My story in @science.org (and 🧵on why it's important to come):
www.science.org/content/arti...
Aurora photographers: How do I set iPhone 16 to take a 10-sec exposure? (I don't want to use a 3rd party app or edit a live shot after the fact). Can you force it to do 10 secs, or does it depend on the ambient light? With an overcast sky, I can't get it above 3 secs.
November 13, 2025 at 6:16 AM
Aurora photographers: How do I set iPhone 16 to take a 10-sec exposure? (I don't want to use a 3rd party app or edit a live shot after the fact). Can you force it to do 10 secs, or does it depend on the ambient light? With an overcast sky, I can't get it above 3 secs.
One virus after another being linked to autoimmune conditions & other chronic illnesses. Once you know what to look for…
med.stanford.edu/news/all-new...
med.stanford.edu/news/all-new...
Stanford Medicine scientists tie lupus to a virus nearly all of us carry
The Epstein-Barr virus can convert B cells it’s infected into diabolical overlords that reprogram myriad other immune cells to attack our tissues, Stanford Medicine scientists have found.
med.stanford.edu
November 13, 2025 at 4:01 AM
One virus after another being linked to autoimmune conditions & other chronic illnesses. Once you know what to look for…
med.stanford.edu/news/all-new...
med.stanford.edu/news/all-new...
I want to see the aurora under any circumstances, but especially from a plane. Twice I’ve routed trips via a more northerly route (SF>Detroit>Tampa) when good conditions were predicted, but no luck yet.
November 13, 2025 at 3:43 AM
I want to see the aurora under any circumstances, but especially from a plane. Twice I’ve routed trips via a more northerly route (SF>Detroit>Tampa) when good conditions were predicted, but no luck yet.
Reposted by Liz Highleyman
Woah! Look at this INTENSE red/pink aurora happening from Norway Mountain in Michigan. It's fairly high in the sky as well. This may be visible from some states further south like Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, etc.
go.theauroraguy.com/webcams
go.theauroraguy.com/webcams
November 13, 2025 at 12:43 AM
Woah! Look at this INTENSE red/pink aurora happening from Norway Mountain in Michigan. It's fairly high in the sky as well. This may be visible from some states further south like Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, etc.
go.theauroraguy.com/webcams
go.theauroraguy.com/webcams
Reposted by Liz Highleyman
This sounds reasonable but is 100% wrong. Whether you or agree or disagree with a study is completely immaterial. What matters is whether the study was conducted properly and generates valid results. And it's impolitic to say but it's true: you have to have some level of expertise to judge that.
JD Vance: "Science as practiced in its best form is that if you disagree with it, then you ought to criticize it and you ought to argue against it."
November 12, 2025 at 5:57 PM
This sounds reasonable but is 100% wrong. Whether you or agree or disagree with a study is completely immaterial. What matters is whether the study was conducted properly and generates valid results. And it's impolitic to say but it's true: you have to have some level of expertise to judge that.
I should stay off social media tonight.😕 My aurora viewing aspirations are still for naught. SF is just too far south for reliable decent viewing (though some people in NorCal may catch a glimpse if they're lucky & their timing is right).
November 12, 2025 at 5:06 AM
I should stay off social media tonight.😕 My aurora viewing aspirations are still for naught. SF is just too far south for reliable decent viewing (though some people in NorCal may catch a glimpse if they're lucky & their timing is right).
I don't understand why they had to kill these ostriches. It sounds like they weren't currently infected, just previously potentially exposed. Birds may not be as cuddly as research beagles, but healthy animals shouldn't be killed just to follow rules or score political points.
‘Professional marksmen’ kill flu-exposed ostrich herd in Canada, ending legal saga that attracted RFK Jr.’s attention | CNN
The move brings to an end a nearly year-long legal saga that attracted attention from conservatives in the United States, including US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
www.cnn.com
November 12, 2025 at 4:58 AM
I don't understand why they had to kill these ostriches. It sounds like they weren't currently infected, just previously potentially exposed. Birds may not be as cuddly as research beagles, but healthy animals shouldn't be killed just to follow rules or score political points.
Reposted by Liz Highleyman
SWPC has only ever issued a handful of G4 watches, and we have now for Nov 12 due to three incoming CMEs. Storming may begin on Nov 11 with the impact of the first CME with two more close behind it.
If the forecast verifies, much of the U.S. may see the aurora Tue/Wed nights.
If the forecast verifies, much of the U.S. may see the aurora Tue/Wed nights.
November 11, 2025 at 5:48 PM
SWPC has only ever issued a handful of G4 watches, and we have now for Nov 12 due to three incoming CMEs. Storming may begin on Nov 11 with the impact of the first CME with two more close behind it.
If the forecast verifies, much of the U.S. may see the aurora Tue/Wed nights.
If the forecast verifies, much of the U.S. may see the aurora Tue/Wed nights.
Reposted by Liz Highleyman
scoop: RICHARD PAZDUR set to be named FDA's top drug regulator
He'd initially turned down job leading agency's CDER but reconsidered
He'd initially turned down job leading agency's CDER but reconsidered
FDA plans to tap oncology-expert Pazdur as nation’s top drug regulator
Richard Pazdur, a longtime Food and Drug Administration employee, would lead its center that oversees over-the-counter and the majority of prescription drugs.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 11, 2025 at 8:55 PM
scoop: RICHARD PAZDUR set to be named FDA's top drug regulator
He'd initially turned down job leading agency's CDER but reconsidered
He'd initially turned down job leading agency's CDER but reconsidered
Reposted by Liz Highleyman
The heath benefits of multilingualism appear to be far beyond prior expectations
erictopol.substack.com/p/multilingu...
erictopol.substack.com/p/multilingu...
Multilingualism and Extending Healthspan
Evidence for a new independent lifestyle factor linked to healthy aging
erictopol.substack.com
November 10, 2025 at 4:08 PM
The heath benefits of multilingualism appear to be far beyond prior expectations
erictopol.substack.com/p/multilingu...
erictopol.substack.com/p/multilingu...
MHT is beneficial for many women, vaginal estrogen is safe & the backlash against systemic hormones largely stemmed from a poor grasp of relative vs absolute risk. They may be wrong more often than right, but when they’re right, we shouldn’t oppose out of partisanship or animosity.
for those puzzling out why an administration hostile to HRT for transition is super pro HRT for menopause, their claims that menopause ruins women and marriages seems pretty key
No, menopause does not kill women or cause divorce.
November 11, 2025 at 6:35 PM
MHT is beneficial for many women, vaginal estrogen is safe & the backlash against systemic hormones largely stemmed from a poor grasp of relative vs absolute risk. They may be wrong more often than right, but when they’re right, we shouldn’t oppose out of partisanship or animosity.
China is going to win a lot of science & technology races — & with the way things are going in the US & elsewhere, the deserve to.
Good morning to all those people who wasted the last decade saying, "there's no point tackling climate change in the UK, because China."
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
China’s CO2 emissions have been flat or falling for past 18 months, analysis finds
World’s biggest polluter on track to hit peak emissions target early but miss goal for cutting carbon intensity
www.theguardian.com
November 11, 2025 at 6:27 PM
China is going to win a lot of science & technology races — & with the way things are going in the US & elsewhere, the deserve to.
Reposted by Liz Highleyman
Have you heard? There are TWO CMEs directed right at Earth that could cause geomagnetic storming starting tomorrow.
Here is an animation of some of these blasts coming from the Sun (center) to Earth (black dot). This comes from the HUXt model.
#heliophysics
Here is an animation of some of these blasts coming from the Sun (center) to Earth (black dot). This comes from the HUXt model.
#heliophysics
November 10, 2025 at 6:32 PM
Have you heard? There are TWO CMEs directed right at Earth that could cause geomagnetic storming starting tomorrow.
Here is an animation of some of these blasts coming from the Sun (center) to Earth (black dot). This comes from the HUXt model.
#heliophysics
Here is an animation of some of these blasts coming from the Sun (center) to Earth (black dot). This comes from the HUXt model.
#heliophysics
Reposted by Liz Highleyman
Boy you can just realllllllly fucking tell who's never had to get on the horn with an insurance company huh
I was at an event yesterday where Rand Paul spoke via video and talked about how great it was to send ACA money "directly to the people" so that they could work collectively to get better deals on health care.
November 11, 2025 at 4:06 AM
Boy you can just realllllllly fucking tell who's never had to get on the horn with an insurance company huh
This is a good decision. The 2002 backlash against MHT/HRT happened because the public, much of the media & even some doctors don't grasp the difference between relative & absolute risk. A percentage change may seem substantial, but you need to look at the actual numbers.
FDA reverses decades-old warning on hormone therapy products for menopause
The FDA is reversing a 2003 decision that put a stringent warning on hormone therapy products for menopausal women, saying that the treatments offer heart, brain, and bone health benefits.
www.statnews.com
November 10, 2025 at 6:57 PM
This is a good decision. The 2002 backlash against MHT/HRT happened because the public, much of the media & even some doctors don't grasp the difference between relative & absolute risk. A percentage change may seem substantial, but you need to look at the actual numbers.
I loved the integration & one-stop-shopping of Kaiser, but now I see the drawbacks. When I lose my insurance next month, I’ll no longer have access to my doctors — there’s no self-pay option — & I don’t even know if I’ll be able to access their website to see my past records & test results.😕
November 10, 2025 at 5:37 PM
I loved the integration & one-stop-shopping of Kaiser, but now I see the drawbacks. When I lose my insurance next month, I’ll no longer have access to my doctors — there’s no self-pay option — & I don’t even know if I’ll be able to access their website to see my past records & test results.😕
Reposted by Liz Highleyman
⚡️ SCOTUS will NOT overturn marriage equality 🎉
November 10, 2025 at 2:52 PM
⚡️ SCOTUS will NOT overturn marriage equality 🎉
Reposted by Liz Highleyman
You and the text you need to trim in order to meet the word limit
November 10, 2025 at 7:27 AM
You and the text you need to trim in order to meet the word limit
Dems ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory is remarkable. Can you even call it a “deal” if one side gets everything they want & the other gets nothing?
BREAKING: Senators have reached a deal to end the government shutdown.
Senate reaches deal on ending the shutdown
Democrats are coalescing around a bipartisan agreement to fund the government.
www.politico.com
November 10, 2025 at 12:15 AM
Dems ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory is remarkable. Can you even call it a “deal” if one side gets everything they want & the other gets nothing?
Seems like every day there’s a new study on health benefits of coffee. I suspect fears about its purported harms are along the lines of “something good can’t be good for you.” (Aside: when you type “health benefits of c…” on iPhone, coffee is the 2nd option after cannabis.😀)
Get this: Coffee suppressed atrial fibrillation!
Unexpected results for recurrence from a randomized trial in participants after cardioversion from AF
#AHA25 @jama.com
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
Unexpected results for recurrence from a randomized trial in participants after cardioversion from AF
#AHA25 @jama.com
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
November 9, 2025 at 9:46 PM
Seems like every day there’s a new study on health benefits of coffee. I suspect fears about its purported harms are along the lines of “something good can’t be good for you.” (Aside: when you type “health benefits of c…” on iPhone, coffee is the 2nd option after cannabis.😀)
Reposted by Liz Highleyman
Regular reminder that Axios stories saying Dems are about to cave are likely sourced from GOP staffers trying to make it happen.
Doesn't mean it definitely won't happen. But it's like those NYT stories that Harvard is considering caving (they haven't). The anonymous source was trying to manifest it.
Doesn't mean it definitely won't happen. But it's like those NYT stories that Harvard is considering caving (they haven't). The anonymous source was trying to manifest it.
November 9, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Regular reminder that Axios stories saying Dems are about to cave are likely sourced from GOP staffers trying to make it happen.
Doesn't mean it definitely won't happen. But it's like those NYT stories that Harvard is considering caving (they haven't). The anonymous source was trying to manifest it.
Doesn't mean it definitely won't happen. But it's like those NYT stories that Harvard is considering caving (they haven't). The anonymous source was trying to manifest it.
Reposted by Liz Highleyman
Does Sen. Cassidy, a strong proponent of #vaccines, regret voting to confirm RFK Jr. as health secretary? “I just have to quote Kierkegaard — You live life forward,” is his reply.
That's not a "No."
@kathmacphail.bsky.social reports. www.statnews.com/2025/11/08/b...
That's not a "No."
@kathmacphail.bsky.social reports. www.statnews.com/2025/11/08/b...
Cassidy drops into Liver Meeting to talk of shutdown, insurance overhaul and vaccines
Dropping in at the Liver Meeting, Senator Bill Cassidy argues for federally funded Flexible Spending Accounts over ACA subsidies and laments the state of vaccination.
www.statnews.com
November 9, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Does Sen. Cassidy, a strong proponent of #vaccines, regret voting to confirm RFK Jr. as health secretary? “I just have to quote Kierkegaard — You live life forward,” is his reply.
That's not a "No."
@kathmacphail.bsky.social reports. www.statnews.com/2025/11/08/b...
That's not a "No."
@kathmacphail.bsky.social reports. www.statnews.com/2025/11/08/b...