In 2025, we continue to advocate for policy based on scientific evidence. This 2020 Editorial, “We need leaders that believe in scientific evidence”, resonates today as loudly as ever: plos.io/34lyl59. PLOS Biology also continues to push for DEI and a diverse scientific community:
plos.io/3rzxczU 🧪

National Science Foundation fired nearly 170 workers this morning in Zoom call. This included workers who had completed a 1-yr requisite probation and shouldn't have been included in termination but were suddenly told recently that the 1-yr should have been 2-yrs, revoking their permanent status.

🧪🦠

I have been talking to the media, Time, Fortune, NBC, etc., to explain how the onslaught on science and NIH will impact the health of all Americans. Everyone knows someone who has cancer, heart disease, or depression. Spread the word about how cutting science impacts all.
time.com/7216299/nih-...

All at risk - or ended - with today’s short sighted, indiscriminate firings at HHS (aka NIH, CDC, and more).

www.science.org/content/arti...

I’ve been seething and grieving since yesterday’s Friday Night Massacre of NIH overheads, a seeming bit of bureaucratic trivial that will in fact destroy the US university system if unchecked. But I want to get away from budgets and rate breakdowns and F&A percentages for a moment.

Humor me?

Executive wants to frame the NIH indirects cut as $4B in savings.

But given that NIH returns $2.5 on every $1 investment, this would actually cost US economy a net $6 BILLION (per year!). Not to mention the human costs of wrecking education and research sectors and the communities they serve.

Worst week for science EVER.

Sunday: ASM scrubs DEI mentions from website.

Tue: NASA scrubs DEI from website; ICE arrests a student on campus; NSF plans to cut staff; USAID halted.

Wed: HHMI kills diversity program; NIH trashes applications for diversity F grants.

Fri: NIH cuts indirects.

Holy crap. While one can argue indirect cost rates were getting out of hand at some institutions, just cutting them to 15% and saying that’s a generous rate because private foundations don’t add more than 10% is “logic” that betrays a complete lack of understanding of how biomedical research works

The US government has been turned over to a group of extraordinarily ignorant people, and they are working to destroy science in this country. Cutting over half the NSF budget would save < 0.1% of the federal budget, but do incalculable harm. Simply heartbreaking.

arstechnica.com/science/2025...

Excited to see this finally out! Thanks to all my amazing co-authors journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...