Chris Komatsu
@chris-komatsu.bsky.social
Analytical/Diagnostic Chemist | Organic/Polymer Chem PhD from Texas A&M ‘20 | Dr. Karen Wooley’s Group @GroupWooley | the College of William and Mary Class of '14 | ΚΣ
Reposted by Chris Komatsu
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. denies being anti-vax. But in repopulating a CDC advisory committee with like-minded allies, he is serving the most core goal of the anti-vaccine movement: eroding access to, and trust in, immunization, @katherinejwu.com writes.
RFK Jr. Is Barely Even Pretending Anymore
America’s anti-vaccine era is truly beginning.
bit.ly
June 13, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. denies being anti-vax. But in repopulating a CDC advisory committee with like-minded allies, he is serving the most core goal of the anti-vaccine movement: eroding access to, and trust in, immunization, @katherinejwu.com writes.
Reposted by Chris Komatsu
Issue 23 is here!
Our front cover this week features Olexandr Isayev et al 🤩
'AIMNet2: a neural network potential to meet your neutral, charged, organic, and elemental-organic needs'
🔗 doi.org/10.1039/D4SC...
#ChemSciCovers
Our front cover this week features Olexandr Isayev et al 🤩
'AIMNet2: a neural network potential to meet your neutral, charged, organic, and elemental-organic needs'
🔗 doi.org/10.1039/D4SC...
#ChemSciCovers
June 13, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Issue 23 is here!
Our front cover this week features Olexandr Isayev et al 🤩
'AIMNet2: a neural network potential to meet your neutral, charged, organic, and elemental-organic needs'
🔗 doi.org/10.1039/D4SC...
#ChemSciCovers
Our front cover this week features Olexandr Isayev et al 🤩
'AIMNet2: a neural network potential to meet your neutral, charged, organic, and elemental-organic needs'
🔗 doi.org/10.1039/D4SC...
#ChemSciCovers
Reposted by Chris Komatsu
Doctors who profited from pro RFK propaganda articles have no right to complain about him now.
When medicine and science were under attack, they gave ammunition to its attackers instead of standing against them.
Silence is their only appropriate reaction now.
When medicine and science were under attack, they gave ammunition to its attackers instead of standing against them.
Silence is their only appropriate reaction now.
June 12, 2025 at 10:58 PM
Doctors who profited from pro RFK propaganda articles have no right to complain about him now.
When medicine and science were under attack, they gave ammunition to its attackers instead of standing against them.
Silence is their only appropriate reaction now.
When medicine and science were under attack, they gave ammunition to its attackers instead of standing against them.
Silence is their only appropriate reaction now.
This is hilarious. Jay Batttacharia, the current director of NIH, doesn't realize that NIH already has research grants dedicated to new PIs and Early Stage Investigators (ESIs). What a novel idea Jay!
(See link for twitter space)
x.com/chris_komats...
(See link for twitter space)
x.com/chris_komats...
x.com
June 12, 2025 at 10:54 PM
This is hilarious. Jay Batttacharia, the current director of NIH, doesn't realize that NIH already has research grants dedicated to new PIs and Early Stage Investigators (ESIs). What a novel idea Jay!
(See link for twitter space)
x.com/chris_komats...
(See link for twitter space)
x.com/chris_komats...
I am doing my best to hold down the fort on the “other app.” I hate how the reproducibility crisis is being weaponized against the whole idea of science and being blamed on hiring practices. It was an honor to peer review for JACS and I’d love to do so again if given the opportunity.
May 26, 2025 at 6:47 PM
I am doing my best to hold down the fort on the “other app.” I hate how the reproducibility crisis is being weaponized against the whole idea of science and being blamed on hiring practices. It was an honor to peer review for JACS and I’d love to do so again if given the opportunity.
Reposted by Chris Komatsu
In fact I was extremely clear about what my take home message was from this interview and felt that came across in the article. I don’t give a fuck about Clippy Metzl’s quote. He’s not presented as an expert. Mike and I are.
bsky.app/profile/angi...
bsky.app/profile/angi...
I talked to @robsteinnews.bsky.social @npr.org about my views on the new LAB (TRUMP) LEAK website.
This website is not scientifically or factually accurate. It's propaganda intended to justify wiping out America's entire capacity for public health and science.
www.npr.org/sections/sho...
This website is not scientifically or factually accurate. It's propaganda intended to justify wiping out America's entire capacity for public health and science.
www.npr.org/sections/sho...
April 19, 2025 at 5:12 PM
In fact I was extremely clear about what my take home message was from this interview and felt that came across in the article. I don’t give a fuck about Clippy Metzl’s quote. He’s not presented as an expert. Mike and I are.
bsky.app/profile/angi...
bsky.app/profile/angi...
Reposted by Chris Komatsu
As one of the scientists interviewed for this piece, I disagree that this is how my comments or my expertise were portrayed in this article.
I didn’t appreciate when Alina Chan promoted her book with hot takes that presumed to speak for me & my colleagues. I don’t appreciate it here either.
I didn’t appreciate when Alina Chan promoted her book with hot takes that presumed to speak for me & my colleagues. I don’t appreciate it here either.
April 19, 2025 at 5:05 PM
As one of the scientists interviewed for this piece, I disagree that this is how my comments or my expertise were portrayed in this article.
I didn’t appreciate when Alina Chan promoted her book with hot takes that presumed to speak for me & my colleagues. I don’t appreciate it here either.
I didn’t appreciate when Alina Chan promoted her book with hot takes that presumed to speak for me & my colleagues. I don’t appreciate it here either.
Reposted by Chris Komatsu
Eliminating SNAP in order to give tax breaks to billionaires is pretty evil stuff and literally the opposite of “making America healthy.”
February 26, 2025 at 1:19 PM
Eliminating SNAP in order to give tax breaks to billionaires is pretty evil stuff and literally the opposite of “making America healthy.”
Reposted by Chris Komatsu
Note here that Musk is now literally assigning himself new contracts based on the use of his DOGE wrecking crew and the associated micro-bros. this isn't a "conflict of interest". it's just handing yourself federal money www.cnn.com/2025/02/25/b...
Musk’s Starlink gets FAA contract, raising new conflict of interest concerns | CNN Business
The Federal Aviation Administration has agreed to use SpaceX’s Starlink internet system to upgrade the information technology networks it uses to manage US airspace, raising new concerns about conflic...
www.cnn.com
February 26, 2025 at 12:33 AM
Note here that Musk is now literally assigning himself new contracts based on the use of his DOGE wrecking crew and the associated micro-bros. this isn't a "conflict of interest". it's just handing yourself federal money www.cnn.com/2025/02/25/b...
Reposted by Chris Komatsu
Why does the richest man on earth need to hand himself federal contracts? Because he will never be satisfied until he has as much money as he can get, and the rest of us have virtually nothing.
Note here that Musk is now literally assigning himself new contracts based on the use of his DOGE wrecking crew and the associated micro-bros. this isn't a "conflict of interest". it's just handing yourself federal money www.cnn.com/2025/02/25/b...
Musk’s Starlink gets FAA contract, raising new conflict of interest concerns | CNN Business
The Federal Aviation Administration has agreed to use SpaceX’s Starlink internet system to upgrade the information technology networks it uses to manage US airspace, raising new concerns about conflic...
www.cnn.com
February 26, 2025 at 4:25 AM
Why does the richest man on earth need to hand himself federal contracts? Because he will never be satisfied until he has as much money as he can get, and the rest of us have virtually nothing.
Reposted by Chris Komatsu
As the measles outbreak in Texas keeps spreading, parents who previously chose not to vaccinate their children are now lining up to get their kids the shots needed to protect them from the serious illness.
As Texas measles outbreak grows, parents are choosing to vaccinate kids
At least 124 people, mostly babies, children and teens, have been infected. Eighteen people have been hospitalized.
www.nbcnews.com
February 25, 2025 at 11:25 PM
As the measles outbreak in Texas keeps spreading, parents who previously chose not to vaccinate their children are now lining up to get their kids the shots needed to protect them from the serious illness.
Reposted by Chris Komatsu
Egg Prices Now Expected To Rise Twice As High As Earlier Projections In 2025
Egg prices are now expected to jump in price in 2025 by more than double earlier projections. dailyvoice.com/md/annapolis...
Egg prices are now expected to jump in price in 2025 by more than double earlier projections. dailyvoice.com/md/annapolis...
Egg Prices Now Expected To Rise Twice As High As Earlier Projections In 2025
Egg prices are now expected to jump in price in 2025 by more than double earlier projections.Initial estimates by the USDA predicted a 20-percent increase just a month ago. With a nationwide shortage ...
dailyvoice.com
February 26, 2025 at 2:29 PM
Egg Prices Now Expected To Rise Twice As High As Earlier Projections In 2025
Egg prices are now expected to jump in price in 2025 by more than double earlier projections. dailyvoice.com/md/annapolis...
Egg prices are now expected to jump in price in 2025 by more than double earlier projections. dailyvoice.com/md/annapolis...
Reposted by Chris Komatsu
Bobby Whalen is a man with autism who had a job sterilizing surgical instruments at NIH. He was apparently quite good at it, but he just lost his job because of Musk’s hatchet job. www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/f...
‘Disappointing': Fired NIH worker trained others hired in disability inclusion program
D.C. resident Bobby Whalen was a proud probationary employee of the National Institutes of Health. He lost his job Friday night along with what is believed to be more than 1,000 other NIH probationary...
www.nbcwashington.com
February 20, 2025 at 1:55 AM
Bobby Whalen is a man with autism who had a job sterilizing surgical instruments at NIH. He was apparently quite good at it, but he just lost his job because of Musk’s hatchet job. www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/f...
Reposted by Chris Komatsu
How did we get to this moment where is Fauci needed security and it’s legit scary that it got taken away.
This didn’t help.
And any doctor who normalized this whole pretending to care about tone didn’t help either.
m.youtube.com/watch?v=_HZD...
This didn’t help.
And any doctor who normalized this whole pretending to care about tone didn’t help either.
m.youtube.com/watch?v=_HZD...
Dr. Vinay Prasad rejects forgiveness and swears
YouTube video by Jonathan Howard
m.youtube.com
January 27, 2025 at 3:12 AM
How did we get to this moment where is Fauci needed security and it’s legit scary that it got taken away.
This didn’t help.
And any doctor who normalized this whole pretending to care about tone didn’t help either.
m.youtube.com/watch?v=_HZD...
This didn’t help.
And any doctor who normalized this whole pretending to care about tone didn’t help either.
m.youtube.com/watch?v=_HZD...
We should expect a lot of coincidental & purportedly “scientific” breaking reports from Federal departments published in the next week or two that claim to have found “new evidence” of a change from a previous conclusion or policy. Rest assured it’s likely politically motivated and dubious at best.
January 26, 2025 at 1:34 AM
We should expect a lot of coincidental & purportedly “scientific” breaking reports from Federal departments published in the next week or two that claim to have found “new evidence” of a change from a previous conclusion or policy. Rest assured it’s likely politically motivated and dubious at best.
I’m still trying to fight the good fight and represent science well on twitter. But I find it hilarious when some tech bro anti-vaxxer is trying to lecture me about “the Reproducibility Crisis” when they can’t even tell me what type of data is the hardest to reproduce…
January 25, 2025 at 2:17 AM
I’m still trying to fight the good fight and represent science well on twitter. But I find it hilarious when some tech bro anti-vaxxer is trying to lecture me about “the Reproducibility Crisis” when they can’t even tell me what type of data is the hardest to reproduce…
Reposted by Chris Komatsu
Okay sometimes scientists are really excellent at naming things.
Scientists found an activator of the Piezo1 channel and called it yoda1:
www.guidetopharmacology.org/GRAC/LigandD...
They then found an analogue of yoda1 that inhibits its action, which they named... dooku1
Scientists found an activator of the Piezo1 channel and called it yoda1:
www.guidetopharmacology.org/GRAC/LigandD...
They then found an analogue of yoda1 that inhibits its action, which they named... dooku1
Yoda1 analogue (Dooku1) which antagonizes Yoda1‐evoked activation of Piezo1 and aortic relaxation
The mechanosensitive Piezo1 channel has important roles in vascular physiology and disease. Yoda1 is a small‐molecule agonist, but the pharmacology of these channels is otherwise limited. Yoda1 analog...
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
January 5, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Okay sometimes scientists are really excellent at naming things.
Scientists found an activator of the Piezo1 channel and called it yoda1:
www.guidetopharmacology.org/GRAC/LigandD...
They then found an analogue of yoda1 that inhibits its action, which they named... dooku1
Scientists found an activator of the Piezo1 channel and called it yoda1:
www.guidetopharmacology.org/GRAC/LigandD...
They then found an analogue of yoda1 that inhibits its action, which they named... dooku1
Reposted by Chris Komatsu
Increasingly believing that RFK Jr. is the most dangerous nominee. Vaccines are gonna be the ideological fight of the decade lol hate this
January 4, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Increasingly believing that RFK Jr. is the most dangerous nominee. Vaccines are gonna be the ideological fight of the decade lol hate this
Reposted by Chris Komatsu
Actually, that you care about the well being of antivaxxers doesn’t make you unique as you imply.
I’m sure most docs here are kind to their patients who don’t get vaccinated.
But if more people knew RFK was a lying crank, there would be fewer antivaxxers.
I’m sure most docs here are kind to their patients who don’t get vaccinated.
But if more people knew RFK was a lying crank, there would be fewer antivaxxers.
January 2, 2025 at 3:39 AM
Actually, that you care about the well being of antivaxxers doesn’t make you unique as you imply.
I’m sure most docs here are kind to their patients who don’t get vaccinated.
But if more people knew RFK was a lying crank, there would be fewer antivaxxers.
I’m sure most docs here are kind to their patients who don’t get vaccinated.
But if more people knew RFK was a lying crank, there would be fewer antivaxxers.
Reposted by Chris Komatsu
Well, this is false. RFK Jr antivaccine disinformation started in 2005.
Samoa was in 2019.
He been Americas #1 antivaxxer for years and he already has a body count.
When given the opportunity to talk to the press, this is the message to send.
Not this👇
Samoa was in 2019.
He been Americas #1 antivaxxer for years and he already has a body count.
When given the opportunity to talk to the press, this is the message to send.
Not this👇
January 2, 2025 at 3:21 AM
Well, this is false. RFK Jr antivaccine disinformation started in 2005.
Samoa was in 2019.
He been Americas #1 antivaxxer for years and he already has a body count.
When given the opportunity to talk to the press, this is the message to send.
Not this👇
Samoa was in 2019.
He been Americas #1 antivaxxer for years and he already has a body count.
When given the opportunity to talk to the press, this is the message to send.
Not this👇
Losing my grandad, Albert Komatsu, this year has hit me hard. He was my last living relative to serve in uniform during WWII. His younger sister is now my only living relative to have experienced internment under EO 9066. Going through his stuff, I came upon something I hadn’t seen before.
January 1, 2025 at 5:35 AM
Losing my grandad, Albert Komatsu, this year has hit me hard. He was my last living relative to serve in uniform during WWII. His younger sister is now my only living relative to have experienced internment under EO 9066. Going through his stuff, I came upon something I hadn’t seen before.
Reposted by Chris Komatsu
Busy a busy morning. Nine C-17s. All but one landed at Ramstein. Oddly, a C5M headed towards Romania then returned towards Ramstein in midair. List of the C-17's in response. 1/2
December 12, 2024 at 1:54 PM
Busy a busy morning. Nine C-17s. All but one landed at Ramstein. Oddly, a C5M headed towards Romania then returned towards Ramstein in midair. List of the C-17's in response. 1/2
Reposted by Chris Komatsu
Interesting follow-up on this. We're running automated analyses on H5N1 data on the SRA to look for potentially important mutations in the virus.
Following the study 👇, we looked to see if we could find *any* evidence of the HA Q226L mutation.
We did. In a mouse from June of this year.
Short 🧵
Following the study 👇, we looked to see if we could find *any* evidence of the HA Q226L mutation.
We did. In a mouse from June of this year.
Short 🧵
If an #H5N1 pandemic starts tomorrow or in three months, there will be little mystery as to how it happened. The conditions are all there. They have been for a while.
So in some ways the more interesting question to me at the moment is: Why aren’t we in a pandemic yet?
Story here, 🧵 to come:
🧪#IDSky
So in some ways the more interesting question to me at the moment is: Why aren’t we in a pandemic yet?
Story here, 🧵 to come:
🧪#IDSky
Why hasn’t the bird flu pandemic started?
Some scientists examining mutations found in H5N1 viruses fear major outbreak is imminent but others says pathogen remains unpredictable
www.science.org
December 6, 2024 at 8:02 PM
Interesting follow-up on this. We're running automated analyses on H5N1 data on the SRA to look for potentially important mutations in the virus.
Following the study 👇, we looked to see if we could find *any* evidence of the HA Q226L mutation.
We did. In a mouse from June of this year.
Short 🧵
Following the study 👇, we looked to see if we could find *any* evidence of the HA Q226L mutation.
We did. In a mouse from June of this year.
Short 🧵
Reposted by Chris Komatsu
The problem with this is that those prone to belief in conspiracy theories, which seems to be most if not all of the incoming US establishment, will not take Shi at her word. They will hold tight to their suspicions in the face of any evidence.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Wuhan lab samples hold no close relatives to virus behind COVID
Shi Zhengli, the virologist at centre of COVID lab-leak theory, reveals coronavirus sequences from Wuhan institute.
www.nature.com
December 6, 2024 at 10:18 AM
The problem with this is that those prone to belief in conspiracy theories, which seems to be most if not all of the incoming US establishment, will not take Shi at her word. They will hold tight to their suspicions in the face of any evidence.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...