Richard Van Noorden
@richvn.bsky.social
Features editor, Nature. E: r⟦dot⟧vannoorden⟦at⟧nature⟦dot⟧com or richardvannoorden⟦at⟧protonmail⟦dot⟧com. Signal: richvn.01 . (Currently on parental leave, to April 2026).
Reposted by Richard Van Noorden
arXiv is not going to survive the wave of slop heading its way
January 28, 2026 at 10:29 AM
arXiv is not going to survive the wave of slop heading its way
Reposted by Richard Van Noorden
Covers of the 2 leading science journals this week
@science.org and @nature.com
www.science.org/content/arti... www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
@science.org and @nature.com
www.science.org/content/arti... www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
January 22, 2026 at 7:26 PM
Covers of the 2 leading science journals this week
@science.org and @nature.com
www.science.org/content/arti... www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
@science.org and @nature.com
www.science.org/content/arti... www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
Reposted by Richard Van Noorden
Trump has been in office for one year. We at @nature.com did a deep dive looking at the administration's disruption of science in numbers.
Take a look—the numbers are staggering. By me, @dangaristo.bsky.social, Jeff Tollefson, @kimay.bsky.social, & help from @noamross.net @scott-delaney.bsky.social
Take a look—the numbers are staggering. By me, @dangaristo.bsky.social, Jeff Tollefson, @kimay.bsky.social, & help from @noamross.net @scott-delaney.bsky.social
US science after a year of Trump: what has been lost and what remains
A series of graphics reveals how the Trump administration has sought historic cuts to science and the research workforce.
www.nature.com
January 20, 2026 at 6:08 PM
Trump has been in office for one year. We at @nature.com did a deep dive looking at the administration's disruption of science in numbers.
Take a look—the numbers are staggering. By me, @dangaristo.bsky.social, Jeff Tollefson, @kimay.bsky.social, & help from @noamross.net @scott-delaney.bsky.social
Take a look—the numbers are staggering. By me, @dangaristo.bsky.social, Jeff Tollefson, @kimay.bsky.social, & help from @noamross.net @scott-delaney.bsky.social
Reposted by Richard Van Noorden
This article strikes a chord with me. With mobile laser scanners and GNSS receivers I can now collect as much data in a few days as used to take weeks. Great! Except that's less time spent in the forest really looking at the trees. 🧪🌏🌲🌳 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
‘I rarely get outside’: scientists ditch fieldwork in the age of AI
In the race to embrace new technologies, some ecologists fear their field is losing touch with nature.
www.nature.com
January 7, 2026 at 4:16 PM
This article strikes a chord with me. With mobile laser scanners and GNSS receivers I can now collect as much data in a few days as used to take weeks. Great! Except that's less time spent in the forest really looking at the trees. 🧪🌏🌲🌳 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Richard Van Noorden
1. Headlines everywhere today read "Grok apologizes."
This is bullshit. A chatbot is not something that can apologize.
Pretending otherwise is simple laundering these companies' bullshit about what AI is, while diffusing blame away from the human beings that developed and released this system.
This is bullshit. A chatbot is not something that can apologize.
Pretending otherwise is simple laundering these companies' bullshit about what AI is, while diffusing blame away from the human beings that developed and released this system.
January 3, 2026 at 12:12 AM
1. Headlines everywhere today read "Grok apologizes."
This is bullshit. A chatbot is not something that can apologize.
Pretending otherwise is simple laundering these companies' bullshit about what AI is, while diffusing blame away from the human beings that developed and released this system.
This is bullshit. A chatbot is not something that can apologize.
Pretending otherwise is simple laundering these companies' bullshit about what AI is, while diffusing blame away from the human beings that developed and released this system.
Reposted by Richard Van Noorden
January 2, 2026 at 3:20 PM
Reposted by Richard Van Noorden
On delayed application review, the NIH grant terminations lawsuit appears to be headed for a settlement.
Both plaintiffs and defendants have submitted a joint document outlining their agreement. Judge Young must sign off on it before it takes effect.
Here's what it says and what all this means 🧵
Both plaintiffs and defendants have submitted a joint document outlining their agreement. Judge Young must sign off on it before it takes effect.
Here's what it says and what all this means 🧵
December 29, 2025 at 11:49 PM
On delayed application review, the NIH grant terminations lawsuit appears to be headed for a settlement.
Both plaintiffs and defendants have submitted a joint document outlining their agreement. Judge Young must sign off on it before it takes effect.
Here's what it says and what all this means 🧵
Both plaintiffs and defendants have submitted a joint document outlining their agreement. Judge Young must sign off on it before it takes effect.
Here's what it says and what all this means 🧵
Reposted by Richard Van Noorden
“You are not entitled to a response from us, or anyone, ever,” is what a US Education Department spokesperson wrote to one of our reporters, @megomatz.bsky.social, after she repeatedly tried to get comment from the department and its officials. My column on the condemnation of good journalism.
Our Reporters Reached Out for Comment. They Were Accused of Stalking and Intimidation.
Our journalists reach out to people they’re writing about to ensure fairness. But in this environment, they’ve found their efforts to do so are more likely to be vilified than appreciated.
www.propublica.org
December 29, 2025 at 2:58 PM
“You are not entitled to a response from us, or anyone, ever,” is what a US Education Department spokesperson wrote to one of our reporters, @megomatz.bsky.social, after she repeatedly tried to get comment from the department and its officials. My column on the condemnation of good journalism.
Reposted by Richard Van Noorden
Wow. CERN has secured a promise of $1 billion (!) towards its planned Future Circular Collider from private donors (such as the Breakthrough Prize Foundation & Eric & Wendy Schmidt Fund) - the first such donation for CERN, which has until now been taxpayer funded home.cern/news/press-r...
🧪⚛️
🧪⚛️
Private donors pledge 860 million euros for CERN’s Future Circular Collider
For the first time in CERN’s history, private donors (individuals and philanthropic foundations) have agreed to support a CERN flagship research project. Recently, a group of friends of CERN, includin...
home.cern
December 18, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Wow. CERN has secured a promise of $1 billion (!) towards its planned Future Circular Collider from private donors (such as the Breakthrough Prize Foundation & Eric & Wendy Schmidt Fund) - the first such donation for CERN, which has until now been taxpayer funded home.cern/news/press-r...
🧪⚛️
🧪⚛️
Reposted by Richard Van Noorden
Here's our reporting on the proposed dismantling of the jewel of US atmospheric science, @ncar-ucar.bsky.social.
The plan is to break NCAR apart and disburse some parts to other locations (like the research aircraft fleet) and eliminate others.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
🧪 #AGU25 #climate
The plan is to break NCAR apart and disburse some parts to other locations (like the research aircraft fleet) and eliminate others.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
🧪 #AGU25 #climate
Trump team plans to break up ‘global mothership’ of climate science
Much of the National Center for Atmospheric Research’s non-climate portfolio will be dispersed, the White House says.
www.nature.com
December 17, 2025 at 6:59 PM
Here's our reporting on the proposed dismantling of the jewel of US atmospheric science, @ncar-ucar.bsky.social.
The plan is to break NCAR apart and disburse some parts to other locations (like the research aircraft fleet) and eliminate others.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
🧪 #AGU25 #climate
The plan is to break NCAR apart and disburse some parts to other locations (like the research aircraft fleet) and eliminate others.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
🧪 #AGU25 #climate
Reposted by Richard Van Noorden
Seven feel-good science stories to restore your faith in 2025 - Immense progress in gene-editing, drug discovery and conservation are just some of the reasons to be cheerful about 2025. nature.com/articles/d41... #technology #SciComm #science #SciChat
Seven feel-good science stories to restore your faith in 2025
Immense progress in gene-editing, drug discovery and conservation are just some of the reasons to be cheerful about 2025.
nature.com
December 17, 2025 at 7:19 PM
Seven feel-good science stories to restore your faith in 2025 - Immense progress in gene-editing, drug discovery and conservation are just some of the reasons to be cheerful about 2025. nature.com/articles/d41... #technology #SciComm #science #SciChat
Reposted by Richard Van Noorden
i know this is hardly a new take but isn’t it WILD that wikimedia has to ask for donations to keep itself afloat when every LLM in the world has been trained on wikipedia data?
This is my cyclical reminder that there's really only one consistently reliable source of info in the public record that isn't owned by right wing billionaires, who really want to put an end to it.
Please give at least the $2.75 minimum they request if you can.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
Please give at least the $2.75 minimum they request if you can.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org
December 17, 2025 at 9:47 AM
i know this is hardly a new take but isn’t it WILD that wikimedia has to ask for donations to keep itself afloat when every LLM in the world has been trained on wikipedia data?
$2.6m reward for integrity sleuth Sholto David.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Agrees to Pay $15 Million to Settle Fraud Allegations Related to Scientific Research Grants. The relator [Sholto David] will receive $2,625,000 under today’s settlement.
www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/d...
www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/d...
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Agrees to Pay $15 Million to Settle Fraud Allegations Related to Scientific Research Grants
BOSTON – Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Inc. (Dana-Farber) has agreed to pay $15 million to resolve allegations that, between 2014 and 2024, it made materially false statements and certifications relat...
www.justice.gov
December 17, 2025 at 9:41 AM
$2.6m reward for integrity sleuth Sholto David.
53% of researchers say they have used AI when peer reviewing articles, according to a survey by Frontiers. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
More than half of researchers now use AI for peer review — often against guidance
Policies should reflect the ‘new reality’ of researchers’ increasing reliance on tools that can summarize manuscripts and draft reports.
www.nature.com
December 15, 2025 at 9:03 PM
53% of researchers say they have used AI when peer reviewing articles, according to a survey by Frontiers. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Richard Van Noorden
Three late November tropical cyclones have devastated cities and villages in countries around the Indian Ocean.
When "a region unused to tropical cyclones has had three in a week, the world needs to ask why this happened, not look away."
Read more:
When "a region unused to tropical cyclones has had three in a week, the world needs to ask why this happened, not look away."
Read more:
The Indian Ocean disaster is a climate tragedy — and needs more attention
A region unused to tropical cyclones has had three in a week. The world needs to ask why this happened, not look away.
www.nature.com
December 5, 2025 at 7:39 PM
Three late November tropical cyclones have devastated cities and villages in countries around the Indian Ocean.
When "a region unused to tropical cyclones has had three in a week, the world needs to ask why this happened, not look away."
Read more:
When "a region unused to tropical cyclones has had three in a week, the world needs to ask why this happened, not look away."
Read more:
Reposted by Richard Van Noorden
Two men meet in the carpark of a Leeds hospital. They sit on a bench and start chatting. One of them has a bomb in their backpack and the other must talk them out of using it. A mindblowing and entirely true story that reads like a thriller. as.ft.com/r/13756c02-0...
‘It’s just a bomb’
[FREE TO READ] The true story of two strangers and an extraordinary act of courage
as.ft.com
December 13, 2025 at 9:10 AM
Two men meet in the carpark of a Leeds hospital. They sit on a bench and start chatting. One of them has a bomb in their backpack and the other must talk them out of using it. A mindblowing and entirely true story that reads like a thriller. as.ft.com/r/13756c02-0...
Reposted by Richard Van Noorden
When should a paper be corrected?
Last December, @elisabethbik.bsky.social and other sleuths began flagging papers by a prominent bioengineer, Ali Khademhosseini. They found over 80 with image issues.
Khademhosseini and his colleagues have issued over 40 corrections, but avoided retractions.
Last December, @elisabethbik.bsky.social and other sleuths began flagging papers by a prominent bioengineer, Ali Khademhosseini. They found over 80 with image issues.
Khademhosseini and his colleagues have issued over 40 corrections, but avoided retractions.
Science sleuths raise concerns about scores of bioengineering papers
Prominent bioengineer Ali Khademhosseini has so far corrected more than 40 of the papers in question, but critics say some should have been retracted.
www.nature.com
December 12, 2025 at 3:53 PM
When should a paper be corrected?
Last December, @elisabethbik.bsky.social and other sleuths began flagging papers by a prominent bioengineer, Ali Khademhosseini. They found over 80 with image issues.
Khademhosseini and his colleagues have issued over 40 corrections, but avoided retractions.
Last December, @elisabethbik.bsky.social and other sleuths began flagging papers by a prominent bioengineer, Ali Khademhosseini. They found over 80 with image issues.
Khademhosseini and his colleagues have issued over 40 corrections, but avoided retractions.
Reposted by Richard Van Noorden
From @benjedwards.com in @arstechnica.com, this piece on Anthropic’s “blackmail” story and the company’s habit of presenting totally expected behaviors as totally unexpected behaviors: arstechnica.com/information-...
Is AI really trying to escape human control and blackmail people?
Opinion: Theatrical testing scenarios explain why AI models produce alarming outputs—and why we fall for it.
arstechnica.com
December 3, 2025 at 10:54 PM
From @benjedwards.com in @arstechnica.com, this piece on Anthropic’s “blackmail” story and the company’s habit of presenting totally expected behaviors as totally unexpected behaviors: arstechnica.com/information-...
Reposted by Richard Van Noorden
European Commission issues €120 million fine to Elon Musk's X under the Digital Services Act. "The breaches include the deceptive design of its ‘blue checkmark', the lack of transparency of its advertising repository, and the failure to provide access to public data for researchers."
Commission fines X €120 million under the Digital Services Act
Today, the Commission has issued a fine of €120 million to X for breaching its transparency obligations under the Digital Services Act (DSA).
ec.europa.eu
December 5, 2025 at 11:27 AM
European Commission issues €120 million fine to Elon Musk's X under the Digital Services Act. "The breaches include the deceptive design of its ‘blue checkmark', the lack of transparency of its advertising repository, and the failure to provide access to public data for researchers."
Reposted by Richard Van Noorden
it's wild that R, the ubiquitous statistical computing language, was co-created by a Māori prof (Ross Ihaka) — and yet the vast majority of scientists who use R don't know
this is like inventing the toaster. possibly the largest impact of a single member of an indigenous community on modern science
this is like inventing the toaster. possibly the largest impact of a single member of an indigenous community on modern science
December 14, 2023 at 10:35 AM
it's wild that R, the ubiquitous statistical computing language, was co-created by a Māori prof (Ross Ihaka) — and yet the vast majority of scientists who use R don't know
this is like inventing the toaster. possibly the largest impact of a single member of an indigenous community on modern science
this is like inventing the toaster. possibly the largest impact of a single member of an indigenous community on modern science
requiring visible and invisible watermarks for AI-generated content feels like an essential and basic policy to me—- esp as research has shown how to do it. And it doesn’t slow down AI R&D.
And in theory any videos made should come with a visible and invisible watermark. I’d be interested to know if they do! dig.watch/updates/ai-g...
AI-generated media must now carry labels in China | Digital Watch Observatory
The Cyberspace Administration of China has rolled out wide-ranging AI transparency rules as part of its ongoing Qinglang campaign to clean up online content.
dig.watch
December 3, 2025 at 10:40 AM
requiring visible and invisible watermarks for AI-generated content feels like an essential and basic policy to me—- esp as research has shown how to do it. And it doesn’t slow down AI R&D.
Reposted by Richard Van Noorden
And in theory any videos made should come with a visible and invisible watermark. I’d be interested to know if they do! dig.watch/updates/ai-g...
AI-generated media must now carry labels in China | Digital Watch Observatory
The Cyberspace Administration of China has rolled out wide-ranging AI transparency rules as part of its ongoing Qinglang campaign to clean up online content.
dig.watch
December 2, 2025 at 8:23 PM
And in theory any videos made should come with a visible and invisible watermark. I’d be interested to know if they do! dig.watch/updates/ai-g...
Reposted by Richard Van Noorden
I write a lot about AI and in AI policy circles I kept hearing one thing -- China is the country talking loudest about wanting to regulate the technology at a global level.
Here's my explainer on what that could look like
🧪🤖
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Here's my explainer on what that could look like
🧪🤖
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
China wants to lead the world on AI regulation — will the plan work?
Having placed artificial intelligence at the centre of its own economic strategy, China is driving efforts to create an international system to govern the technology’s use.
www.nature.com
December 2, 2025 at 2:37 PM
I write a lot about AI and in AI policy circles I kept hearing one thing -- China is the country talking loudest about wanting to regulate the technology at a global level.
Here's my explainer on what that could look like
🧪🤖
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Here's my explainer on what that could look like
🧪🤖
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Richard Van Noorden
1. Transparency is necessary for credibility
2. Transparency is hard to change
3. Require transparency*
4. Transparency is not magic
5. Journals are part of problem
6. Expect more from journals
7. Peer review is not magic
8. A crisis can look a lot like „normal“ science
9. Meta-analysis is not magic
2. Transparency is hard to change
3. Require transparency*
4. Transparency is not magic
5. Journals are part of problem
6. Expect more from journals
7. Peer review is not magic
8. A crisis can look a lot like „normal“ science
9. Meta-analysis is not magic
In case you have missed Simine Vazire's excellent webinar yesterday, here is the link to watch it online: youtu.be/_vb1CNwC3CM Thanks again @simine.com for staying up so late and thanks to the audience for the great questions!
PCI Webinar series #13 - Simine Vazire - Recognizing and responding to a replication crisis
youtu.be
December 3, 2025 at 9:40 AM
1. Transparency is necessary for credibility
2. Transparency is hard to change
3. Require transparency*
4. Transparency is not magic
5. Journals are part of problem
6. Expect more from journals
7. Peer review is not magic
8. A crisis can look a lot like „normal“ science
9. Meta-analysis is not magic
2. Transparency is hard to change
3. Require transparency*
4. Transparency is not magic
5. Journals are part of problem
6. Expect more from journals
7. Peer review is not magic
8. A crisis can look a lot like „normal“ science
9. Meta-analysis is not magic