William Brazelton
@wbrazelton.bsky.social
Associate Research Professor, School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah
Research Scientist, Blue Marble Space Institute of Science
Research Scientist, Blue Marble Space Institute of Science
Reposted by William Brazelton
Okay, here are some first reflections on Watson.
Watson's life is a tragedy, really of Shakespearean proportions. He did not, as most bios will tell you, do one great thing when he was young and then collect laurels for it for the next 60 years. His career arc was unlike any in science.
Watson's life is a tragedy, really of Shakespearean proportions. He did not, as most bios will tell you, do one great thing when he was young and then collect laurels for it for the next 60 years. His career arc was unlike any in science.
November 8, 2025 at 11:22 PM
Okay, here are some first reflections on Watson.
Watson's life is a tragedy, really of Shakespearean proportions. He did not, as most bios will tell you, do one great thing when he was young and then collect laurels for it for the next 60 years. His career arc was unlike any in science.
Watson's life is a tragedy, really of Shakespearean proportions. He did not, as most bios will tell you, do one great thing when he was young and then collect laurels for it for the next 60 years. His career arc was unlike any in science.
Reposted by William Brazelton
Amazon is helping fund a $300 million build of a ballroom for the White House.
Independent bookstores are donating to food banks and organizations that help with food insecurity.
They are not the same.
Independent bookstores are donating to food banks and organizations that help with food insecurity.
They are not the same.
October 30, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Amazon is helping fund a $300 million build of a ballroom for the White House.
Independent bookstores are donating to food banks and organizations that help with food insecurity.
They are not the same.
Independent bookstores are donating to food banks and organizations that help with food insecurity.
They are not the same.
Reposted by William Brazelton
You have until Sunday SUNDAY Sunday to order a Biology is Bigger than Binaries shirt. I don't have room in my house for piles of shirts so our shirts are always time-limited.
Designed by @franzanth.bsky.social, supports @skypeascientist.bsky.social, looks cool as hell.
Get one: SquidFacts.net
Designed by @franzanth.bsky.social, supports @skypeascientist.bsky.social, looks cool as hell.
Get one: SquidFacts.net
I'm doing another print run of these "Biology is Bigger than Binaries" shirts!
Back, quite literally, by popular demand. Bullying works, sure, but so does a bunch of nice cutie patooties politely asking!
Order 'em now, I'll mail 'em in early November.
SquidFacts.net
Back, quite literally, by popular demand. Bullying works, sure, but so does a bunch of nice cutie patooties politely asking!
Order 'em now, I'll mail 'em in early November.
SquidFacts.net
October 30, 2025 at 12:59 AM
You have until Sunday SUNDAY Sunday to order a Biology is Bigger than Binaries shirt. I don't have room in my house for piles of shirts so our shirts are always time-limited.
Designed by @franzanth.bsky.social, supports @skypeascientist.bsky.social, looks cool as hell.
Get one: SquidFacts.net
Designed by @franzanth.bsky.social, supports @skypeascientist.bsky.social, looks cool as hell.
Get one: SquidFacts.net
Reposted by William Brazelton
Measles was eliminated in the US in 2000. Gone, with the exception of international travelers bringing it back in and causing small outbreaks. But now it's roaring back — it's incredibly contagious — thanks to guess who. Guess who!
Yup. Anti-vaxxers.
Yup. Anti-vaxxers.
More than 120 people have contracted measles in a community along the Arizona and Utah border, officials say. NBC News’ Erika Edwards details why the area is seeing a surge in cases — and how it’s spreading to touristy spots.
October 26, 2025 at 9:18 PM
Measles was eliminated in the US in 2000. Gone, with the exception of international travelers bringing it back in and causing small outbreaks. But now it's roaring back — it's incredibly contagious — thanks to guess who. Guess who!
Yup. Anti-vaxxers.
Yup. Anti-vaxxers.
Reposted by William Brazelton
I was recently interviewed by @drlauraguertin.bsky.social as part of her 'Tales from the Deep' series focused on the people involved in scientific ocean drilling ⚒️🧪⛴️ –– lots of great stories from many others there to check out
archive.storycorps.org/interviews/i...
archive.storycorps.org/interviews/i...
“I kept asking all these questions like, How do we know that? The other scientists [would respond] - Yeah, how do we know that?”
Virginia Tech sedimentologist Brian Romans knows how scientific ocean drilling can be a particularly good mechanism or vehicle for pivoting in a career – that’s because he has many examples to share a...
archive.storycorps.org
October 23, 2025 at 12:43 PM
I was recently interviewed by @drlauraguertin.bsky.social as part of her 'Tales from the Deep' series focused on the people involved in scientific ocean drilling ⚒️🧪⛴️ –– lots of great stories from many others there to check out
archive.storycorps.org/interviews/i...
archive.storycorps.org/interviews/i...
Reposted by William Brazelton
I still contend that >90% of the benefit of writing a review isn't the audience. It's for the author going through the literature, finding gaps in knowledge, learning how experiments are done, etc. It really isn't about writing a review. It's about doing the review yourself. AI can't do that for you
October 21, 2025 at 5:28 PM
I still contend that >90% of the benefit of writing a review isn't the audience. It's for the author going through the literature, finding gaps in knowledge, learning how experiments are done, etc. It really isn't about writing a review. It's about doing the review yourself. AI can't do that for you
Reposted by William Brazelton
this rocks. when indiana edu killed the student newspaper, Purdue stepped up, printed the forbidden issue, drove it to Bloomington and stocked the boxes.
October 18, 2025 at 6:27 PM
this rocks. when indiana edu killed the student newspaper, Purdue stepped up, printed the forbidden issue, drove it to Bloomington and stocked the boxes.
Reposted by William Brazelton
Chicago No Kings
October 19, 2025 at 12:36 AM
Chicago No Kings
Reposted by William Brazelton
Good evening. We estimate that between 4.2 and 7.6 million people turned out for the No Kings Day demonstrations held around the country on Saturday. This makes Oct 18 very likely the biggest single-day U.S. protest event since 1970. www.gelliottmorris.com/p/second-no-...
Second "No Kings Day" protests likely the largest single-day political demonstration since 1970, with 4.2-7.6 million participants
Here are the initial results from our crowdsourced crowd-counting estimates
www.gelliottmorris.com
October 19, 2025 at 3:17 AM
Good evening. We estimate that between 4.2 and 7.6 million people turned out for the No Kings Day demonstrations held around the country on Saturday. This makes Oct 18 very likely the biggest single-day U.S. protest event since 1970. www.gelliottmorris.com/p/second-no-...
Reposted by William Brazelton
Layoff notices at JPL are going out today.
About 11% of the Lab, or 550 people, are being let go.
I'm thinking of my friends and colleagues there, some of whom will still be employed after today and some of whom won't.
I'm sorry you're having to deal with this.
About 11% of the Lab, or 550 people, are being let go.
I'm thinking of my friends and colleagues there, some of whom will still be employed after today and some of whom won't.
I'm sorry you're having to deal with this.
October 14, 2025 at 6:24 PM
Layoff notices at JPL are going out today.
About 11% of the Lab, or 550 people, are being let go.
I'm thinking of my friends and colleagues there, some of whom will still be employed after today and some of whom won't.
I'm sorry you're having to deal with this.
About 11% of the Lab, or 550 people, are being let go.
I'm thinking of my friends and colleagues there, some of whom will still be employed after today and some of whom won't.
I'm sorry you're having to deal with this.
Reposted by William Brazelton
My new book, UNABRIDGED, published by @groveatlantic.bsky.social, is out! It took a long time to report and write and I'm proud of it and would be grateful if you bought it and would love to see people when I'm traveling to promote it. Consider this an official book thread
October 10, 2025 at 9:36 PM
My new book, UNABRIDGED, published by @groveatlantic.bsky.social, is out! It took a long time to report and write and I'm proud of it and would be grateful if you bought it and would love to see people when I'm traveling to promote it. Consider this an official book thread
Reposted by William Brazelton
Picture how big the Hoover Dam is. An absolute unit. The Hoover Dam has a power capacity of 2 gigawatts (GW).
The solar farm that the Admin just cancelled could have produces 6.2 GW of power. That's more than 3 Hoover Dams.
The solar farm that the Admin just cancelled could have produces 6.2 GW of power. That's more than 3 Hoover Dams.
SCOOP: The Bureau of Land Management says the largest solar project in Nevada — the Esmeralda 7 mega-farm — has been canceled
The news was quietly dropped via a sudden website update with no public word from any of the companies involved or a statement from the agency
@heatmap.news
The news was quietly dropped via a sudden website update with no public word from any of the companies involved or a statement from the agency
@heatmap.news
Esmeralda 7 Solar Project Has Been Canceled, BLM Says
It would have delivered a gargantuan 6.2 gigawatts of power.
heatmap.news
October 10, 2025 at 4:00 AM
Picture how big the Hoover Dam is. An absolute unit. The Hoover Dam has a power capacity of 2 gigawatts (GW).
The solar farm that the Admin just cancelled could have produces 6.2 GW of power. That's more than 3 Hoover Dams.
The solar farm that the Admin just cancelled could have produces 6.2 GW of power. That's more than 3 Hoover Dams.
Reposted by William Brazelton
October 8, 2025 at 9:46 PM
Reposted by William Brazelton
Bray is a historian at Rutgers who received death threats after landing on Turning Points USA's Professor Watchlist. As a result, he announced he was moving to Europe. And then this happened.
This kind of harassment and abuse of scholars is Charlie Kirk's legacy and it's only getting worse.
This kind of harassment and abuse of scholars is Charlie Kirk's legacy and it's only getting worse.
“Someone” cancelled my family’s flight out of the country at the last second.
We got our boarding passes. We checked our bags. Went through security. Then at our gate our reservation ‘disappeared.’
We got our boarding passes. We checked our bags. Went through security. Then at our gate our reservation ‘disappeared.’
October 9, 2025 at 12:43 AM
Bray is a historian at Rutgers who received death threats after landing on Turning Points USA's Professor Watchlist. As a result, he announced he was moving to Europe. And then this happened.
This kind of harassment and abuse of scholars is Charlie Kirk's legacy and it's only getting worse.
This kind of harassment and abuse of scholars is Charlie Kirk's legacy and it's only getting worse.
Reposted by William Brazelton
The elimination of USAID is a moral atrocity and all involved made a choice to enable, and then lie about, ending the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in the world.
October 8, 2025 at 2:09 PM
The elimination of USAID is a moral atrocity and all involved made a choice to enable, and then lie about, ending the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in the world.
Reposted by William Brazelton
Over the weekend ICE abducted an NIH contractor when he showed up to a courthouse for his green card hearing. He is documented. His wife is a citizen.
He is also member of the skeleton crew of animal care staff that works through a shutdown, to ensure the health and wellbeing of research animals.
He is also member of the skeleton crew of animal care staff that works through a shutdown, to ensure the health and wellbeing of research animals.
October 7, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Over the weekend ICE abducted an NIH contractor when he showed up to a courthouse for his green card hearing. He is documented. His wife is a citizen.
He is also member of the skeleton crew of animal care staff that works through a shutdown, to ensure the health and wellbeing of research animals.
He is also member of the skeleton crew of animal care staff that works through a shutdown, to ensure the health and wellbeing of research animals.
Reposted by William Brazelton
Two things of note in today's announcement of the 2025 Nobel physics prize (besides the work being honored).
1: The US institutional dominance of the prize continues.
2: 2 of the three laureates are immigrants, drawn here decades ago by the then-unmatched opportunities for science here...
1/
1: The US institutional dominance of the prize continues.
2: 2 of the three laureates are immigrants, drawn here decades ago by the then-unmatched opportunities for science here...
1/
Nobel Prize in Physics Is Awarded for Work in Quantum Mechanics
www.nytimes.com
October 7, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Two things of note in today's announcement of the 2025 Nobel physics prize (besides the work being honored).
1: The US institutional dominance of the prize continues.
2: 2 of the three laureates are immigrants, drawn here decades ago by the then-unmatched opportunities for science here...
1/
1: The US institutional dominance of the prize continues.
2: 2 of the three laureates are immigrants, drawn here decades ago by the then-unmatched opportunities for science here...
1/
Reposted by William Brazelton
I have been trying to get this published as an op-ed, but I am going to post it here since I think it is timely in light of the "consent" extortion events.
Deafening Quiet from the Scientific Establishment
jeremymberg.github.io/jeremyberg.g...
1/14
Deafening Quiet from the Scientific Establishment
jeremymberg.github.io/jeremyberg.g...
1/14
jeremymberg.github.io
October 6, 2025 at 11:28 PM
I have been trying to get this published as an op-ed, but I am going to post it here since I think it is timely in light of the "consent" extortion events.
Deafening Quiet from the Scientific Establishment
jeremymberg.github.io/jeremyberg.g...
1/14
Deafening Quiet from the Scientific Establishment
jeremymberg.github.io/jeremyberg.g...
1/14
Reposted by William Brazelton
This is what's been going on at NASA since the Trump Administration took over again.
It's every bit as bad as we thought.
It's every bit as bad as we thought.
Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), top Democrat on Senate Commerce Cmte, is out with a Democratic staff report: "The Destruction of NASA's Mission: Whistleblowers Reveal OMB's Unconstitutional Plot to Gut the Agency."
www.commerce.senate.gov/services/fil...
www.commerce.senate.gov/services/fil...
September 29, 2025 at 2:57 PM
This is what's been going on at NASA since the Trump Administration took over again.
It's every bit as bad as we thought.
It's every bit as bad as we thought.
Reposted by William Brazelton
“The Destruction of NASA’s Mission” Whistleblowers reveal OMB’s Unconstitutional Plot to Gut the Agency
New from Committee on Commerce, Science, Transportation Ranking Member Maria Cantwell.
NOTE: This is indeed what I have seen going on inside NASA.
🧪🔭
www.commerce.senate.gov/services/fil...
New from Committee on Commerce, Science, Transportation Ranking Member Maria Cantwell.
NOTE: This is indeed what I have seen going on inside NASA.
🧪🔭
www.commerce.senate.gov/services/fil...
September 29, 2025 at 3:09 PM
“The Destruction of NASA’s Mission” Whistleblowers reveal OMB’s Unconstitutional Plot to Gut the Agency
New from Committee on Commerce, Science, Transportation Ranking Member Maria Cantwell.
NOTE: This is indeed what I have seen going on inside NASA.
🧪🔭
www.commerce.senate.gov/services/fil...
New from Committee on Commerce, Science, Transportation Ranking Member Maria Cantwell.
NOTE: This is indeed what I have seen going on inside NASA.
🧪🔭
www.commerce.senate.gov/services/fil...
Reposted by William Brazelton
yeah they're just murdering random people on these boats
I think the Trump admin assumed no one would try to find out who the people on the boats they blew up really were
September 29, 2025 at 3:54 PM
yeah they're just murdering random people on these boats
Reposted by William Brazelton
New article on equitable reuse of public sequencing data, published in @natmicrobiol.nature.com!
Led by the Data reuse core team @lhug.bsky.social @environmicrobio.bsky.social Cristina Moraru, @geomicrosoares.bsky.social, @folker.bsky.social and with Anke Heyer and The Data Reuse Consotrium!
Led by the Data reuse core team @lhug.bsky.social @environmicrobio.bsky.social Cristina Moraru, @geomicrosoares.bsky.social, @folker.bsky.social and with Anke Heyer and The Data Reuse Consotrium!
September 26, 2025 at 7:34 PM
New article on equitable reuse of public sequencing data, published in @natmicrobiol.nature.com!
Led by the Data reuse core team @lhug.bsky.social @environmicrobio.bsky.social Cristina Moraru, @geomicrosoares.bsky.social, @folker.bsky.social and with Anke Heyer and The Data Reuse Consotrium!
Led by the Data reuse core team @lhug.bsky.social @environmicrobio.bsky.social Cristina Moraru, @geomicrosoares.bsky.social, @folker.bsky.social and with Anke Heyer and The Data Reuse Consotrium!
Reposted by William Brazelton
If you generate or reuse #microbiome data, check out these guidelines for equitable sequence data reuse. Grateful to @alexjprobst.bsky.social and his team for leading this important work and for bringing together 160+ microbiome scientists (myself included) to contribute!
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
September 26, 2025 at 9:44 PM
If you generate or reuse #microbiome data, check out these guidelines for equitable sequence data reuse. Grateful to @alexjprobst.bsky.social and his team for leading this important work and for bringing together 160+ microbiome scientists (myself included) to contribute!
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Reposted by William Brazelton
At 88%, it's hard to find a topic that more Americans agree with each other on than the benefits of routine vaccinations. And with 62% for COVID vaccines (while sadly low), that is also something of a supermajority consensus as policies go in American politics
www.pewresearch.org/science/2023...
www.pewresearch.org/science/2023...
September 25, 2025 at 3:49 PM
At 88%, it's hard to find a topic that more Americans agree with each other on than the benefits of routine vaccinations. And with 62% for COVID vaccines (while sadly low), that is also something of a supermajority consensus as policies go in American politics
www.pewresearch.org/science/2023...
www.pewresearch.org/science/2023...