Emily Costa, PhD
@emcosta.bsky.social
🗽 science communicator at RockEDU Science Outreach & ComSciCon
🧬 your friendly neighborhood cancer biologist
🎭 cackling (scientifically) on @factsmachinepod.bsky.social
🌿 preferably in the woods petting the moss
opinions mine (she/her/hers)
🧬 your friendly neighborhood cancer biologist
🎭 cackling (scientifically) on @factsmachinepod.bsky.social
🌿 preferably in the woods petting the moss
opinions mine (she/her/hers)
Reposted by Emily Costa, PhD
It's hard to express what it meant to watch Maurice, Natalia, Celeste, and Rhea tell their stories—in their own voices—this morning.
The segment revealed a brutal reality: homelessness at this scale isn't about personal failure. It's the result of policy choices and systems built to exploit people.
The segment revealed a brutal reality: homelessness at this scale isn't about personal failure. It's the result of policy choices and systems built to exploit people.
November 16, 2025 at 5:02 PM
It's hard to express what it meant to watch Maurice, Natalia, Celeste, and Rhea tell their stories—in their own voices—this morning.
The segment revealed a brutal reality: homelessness at this scale isn't about personal failure. It's the result of policy choices and systems built to exploit people.
The segment revealed a brutal reality: homelessness at this scale isn't about personal failure. It's the result of policy choices and systems built to exploit people.
Reposted by Emily Costa, PhD
It's irritating that they describe the effects of his racism as limited to causing controversy within science and reputational consequences for himself rather than giving an immeasurable boost, false veneer of legitimacy, and idiot-friendly prestige to modern scientific racism and eugenics.
James D. Watson died on Thursday in East Northport, N.Y., on Long Island. He was 97.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/s...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/s...
James Watson, Who Helped Discover the Structure of DNA, Is Dead at 97
www.nytimes.com
November 7, 2025 at 7:42 PM
It's irritating that they describe the effects of his racism as limited to causing controversy within science and reputational consequences for himself rather than giving an immeasurable boost, false veneer of legitimacy, and idiot-friendly prestige to modern scientific racism and eugenics.
Reposted by Emily Costa, PhD
Hey folks, as news of Watson's demise spreads, please don't set aside his weighty legacy of misogyny and racism. He was truly among the worst of us. www.vox.com/2019/1/15/18...
DNA scientist James Watson has a remarkably long history of sexist, racist public comments
“People say it would be terrible if we made all girls pretty,” he said in 2003. “I think it would be great.”
www.vox.com
November 7, 2025 at 7:45 PM
Hey folks, as news of Watson's demise spreads, please don't set aside his weighty legacy of misogyny and racism. He was truly among the worst of us. www.vox.com/2019/1/15/18...
Reposted by Emily Costa, PhD
November 7, 2025 at 2:38 AM
A new banger in the "Why doesn't this random animal get cancer!?" genre of biological inquiry
October 27, 2025 at 3:18 AM
A new banger in the "Why doesn't this random animal get cancer!?" genre of biological inquiry
Reposted by Emily Costa, PhD
Yet again, we can't afford to let LLMs become a source of epistemic grounding for society.
Largest study of its kind shows AI assistants misrepresent news content 45% of the time – regardless of language or territory
An intensive international study was coordinated by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and led by the BBC
www.bbc.co.uk
October 24, 2025 at 5:21 AM
Yet again, we can't afford to let LLMs become a source of epistemic grounding for society.
Reposted by Emily Costa, PhD
There seems to be a concerted, coordinated effort from the White House and various governmental agencies to join Bluesky en masse prior to the "No Kings" protest and flood the zone.
A reminder that the Trump admin is monitoring social media platforms to find excuses to revoke visas:
A reminder that the Trump admin is monitoring social media platforms to find excuses to revoke visas:
October 17, 2025 at 10:50 PM
There seems to be a concerted, coordinated effort from the White House and various governmental agencies to join Bluesky en masse prior to the "No Kings" protest and flood the zone.
A reminder that the Trump admin is monitoring social media platforms to find excuses to revoke visas:
A reminder that the Trump admin is monitoring social media platforms to find excuses to revoke visas:
Reposted by Emily Costa, PhD
EXCLUSIVE: A new analysis by The Xylom's @alexip718.com shows for the first time just how much America’s top research institutions have grown to depend on H-1B skilled workers — and how this delicate balance might be disrupted by U.S. President Donald Trump’s crackdown on legal immigration.
The Most Detailed Maps of H-1B Visa Holders Joining America's Top Research Institutions
A new analysis by The Xylom shows for the first time just how much America’s top research institutions have grown to depend on the specialized knowledge of H-1B skilled workers — and how this…
www.thexylom.com
September 25, 2025 at 4:08 PM
EXCLUSIVE: A new analysis by The Xylom's @alexip718.com shows for the first time just how much America’s top research institutions have grown to depend on H-1B skilled workers — and how this delicate balance might be disrupted by U.S. President Donald Trump’s crackdown on legal immigration.
Reposted by Emily Costa, PhD
If you read one story about the autism announcement, make it @amymaxmen.bsky.social's.
One detail that others miss: "Fevers can harm the mother and the developing fetus, she said, adding that fevers are more strongly associated with autism than Tylenol." kffhealthnews.org/news/article...
One detail that others miss: "Fevers can harm the mother and the developing fetus, she said, adding that fevers are more strongly associated with autism than Tylenol." kffhealthnews.org/news/article...
‘Sick to My Stomach’: Trump Distorts Facts on Autism, Tylenol, and Vaccines, Scientists Say - KFF Health News
The White House’s autism announcement exaggerates links to Tylenol, misleads on vaccines, and sets back the field by ignoring decades of research, scientists say.
kffhealthnews.org
September 23, 2025 at 2:54 PM
If you read one story about the autism announcement, make it @amymaxmen.bsky.social's.
One detail that others miss: "Fevers can harm the mother and the developing fetus, she said, adding that fevers are more strongly associated with autism than Tylenol." kffhealthnews.org/news/article...
One detail that others miss: "Fevers can harm the mother and the developing fetus, she said, adding that fevers are more strongly associated with autism than Tylenol." kffhealthnews.org/news/article...
Reposted by Emily Costa, PhD
There's a wrong way and a right way to report this
September 22, 2025 at 9:35 PM
There's a wrong way and a right way to report this
Reposted by Emily Costa, PhD
So many academics are on HB-1 visas. This is another attack by #RussellVought on universities and scientific research. Stop telling me anything this administration does is in good faith or with any sort of policy goal except destruction.
Critical part of the President's new $100,000 charge for H1-B visas: The Administration can also offer a $100,000 discount to any person, company, or industry that it wants. Replacing rules with arbitrary discretion.
Want visas? You know who to call and who to flatter.
Want visas? You know who to call and who to flatter.
September 20, 2025 at 9:55 PM
So many academics are on HB-1 visas. This is another attack by #RussellVought on universities and scientific research. Stop telling me anything this administration does is in good faith or with any sort of policy goal except destruction.
It's true, but also my favorite thing is talking to folks about what we know, what we don't, and why when it comes to cancer research so...hit a girl up! (P.S. one of the earliest targeted therapies ever is for the BCR-ABL1 fusion and we still study gene fusions as a way to target various cancers!)
It's like, "Oh, you think that a special tea will undo a TMPRSS2–ERG fusion that just gave a prostate cancer cell all the tissue-invading abilities of a hyperactive blood vessel? Let me know how that works out."
September 20, 2025 at 3:50 AM
It's true, but also my favorite thing is talking to folks about what we know, what we don't, and why when it comes to cancer research so...hit a girl up! (P.S. one of the earliest targeted therapies ever is for the BCR-ABL1 fusion and we still study gene fusions as a way to target various cancers!)
Reposted by Emily Costa, PhD
The VC model is the antithesis of good basic science.
Basic science is best when many labs are funded over the long-term, when many different scientists pursue their own ideas. Let a thousand flowers bloom —and support them.
VC investment is about relentless, exponential growth.
Basic science is best when many labs are funded over the long-term, when many different scientists pursue their own ideas. Let a thousand flowers bloom —and support them.
VC investment is about relentless, exponential growth.
September 14, 2025 at 1:56 PM
The VC model is the antithesis of good basic science.
Basic science is best when many labs are funded over the long-term, when many different scientists pursue their own ideas. Let a thousand flowers bloom —and support them.
VC investment is about relentless, exponential growth.
Basic science is best when many labs are funded over the long-term, when many different scientists pursue their own ideas. Let a thousand flowers bloom —and support them.
VC investment is about relentless, exponential growth.
Reposted by Emily Costa, PhD
Some important information for folks who want to help protect migrants and asylum seekers.
theintercept.com/2025/07/12/i...
theintercept.com/2025/07/12/i...
What to Do When You See ICE in Your Neighborhood
How can you deter the Trump administration's immigrant deportation machine when it pops up in your community? Follow these steps.
theintercept.com
August 31, 2025 at 9:27 PM
Some important information for folks who want to help protect migrants and asylum seekers.
theintercept.com/2025/07/12/i...
theintercept.com/2025/07/12/i...
Reposted by Emily Costa, PhD
This is not the time to step back from diversity, equity, and inclusion | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
This is not the time to step back from diversity, equity, and inclusion
Recently, I exchanged views with a prominent Ivy League scientist who was complaining about the minority students and junior faculty applying to his program. He claimed that the university, through diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies, was ...
www.science.org
July 29, 2025 at 1:51 PM
This is not the time to step back from diversity, equity, and inclusion | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Emily Costa, PhD
After a five-day halt due to a lack of supplies, our team at WCK’s Deir al-Balah Field Kitchen has resumed limited hot meal service in Gaza. #ChefsForGaza (1/3)
World Central Kitchen | WCK Resumes Limited Hot Meal Service in Gaza After 5-Day Pause
After a five day pause, limited cooking operations resumed today at World Central Kitchen's Deir al-Balah Field Kitchen in Gaza.
This marks the second time in 2025 our hot meal program has been force...
wck.org
July 25, 2025 at 3:16 PM
After a five-day halt due to a lack of supplies, our team at WCK’s Deir al-Balah Field Kitchen has resumed limited hot meal service in Gaza. #ChefsForGaza (1/3)
Reposted by Emily Costa, PhD
“a court order can’t reinstate months of lost treatment for a cancer patient… It’s hard to put a price on the value of research that might be years away from a new drug or treatment...It’s even harder for those who have been kicked out of clinical trials…where the stakes are clearly life or death”
Attempting to eliminate funding for certain kinds of “woke” studies, the Trump administration erased hundreds of millions of dollars being used for cancer research. www.wired.com/story/how-tr...
How Trump Killed Cancer Research
Attempting to eliminate funding for certain kinds of “woke” studies, the Trump administration erased hundreds of millions of dollars being used for cancer research.
www.wired.com
July 21, 2025 at 3:20 PM
“a court order can’t reinstate months of lost treatment for a cancer patient… It’s hard to put a price on the value of research that might be years away from a new drug or treatment...It’s even harder for those who have been kicked out of clinical trials…where the stakes are clearly life or death”
Reposted by Emily Costa, PhD
Expired: patient-centeredness is efficient
Tired: patient-centeredness improves quality
Wired: patient-centeredness fights fascism
Tired: patient-centeredness improves quality
Wired: patient-centeredness fights fascism
May, also free in @lancetrh-europe.bsky.social with a great @obshealth.bsky.social team: health and patient-centric health systems are a key determinant of populist radical right voting. Better health and better health care can mean fewer people quitting political activity or voting far right
The role of health and health systems in shaping political engagement and rebuilding trust in democratic institutions
Around the world, institutional trust is declining while democratic discontent is
rising. What role do health and health systems play in this crisis? We review decades
of interdisciplinary research to...
www.thelancet.com
May 19, 2025 at 1:25 PM
Expired: patient-centeredness is efficient
Tired: patient-centeredness improves quality
Wired: patient-centeredness fights fascism
Tired: patient-centeredness improves quality
Wired: patient-centeredness fights fascism
Reposted by Emily Costa, PhD
IF YOU ARE IN ONE OF THESE DISTRICTS PLEASE MAKE A CALL RIGHT NOW
DOES NOT MATTER IF YOUR VOICE SHAKES
CALL AND SAY YOU OPPOSE BBB
Scripts here: 5calls.org
DOES NOT MATTER IF YOUR VOICE SHAKES
CALL AND SAY YOU OPPOSE BBB
Scripts here: 5calls.org
July 3, 2025 at 3:45 PM
IF YOU ARE IN ONE OF THESE DISTRICTS PLEASE MAKE A CALL RIGHT NOW
DOES NOT MATTER IF YOUR VOICE SHAKES
CALL AND SAY YOU OPPOSE BBB
Scripts here: 5calls.org
DOES NOT MATTER IF YOUR VOICE SHAKES
CALL AND SAY YOU OPPOSE BBB
Scripts here: 5calls.org
Reposted by Emily Costa, PhD
This was posted this morning by Humans of New York and I think this captures exactly what we are all experiencing right now
July 3, 2025 at 2:43 PM
This was posted this morning by Humans of New York and I think this captures exactly what we are all experiencing right now
Reposted by Emily Costa, PhD
At a recent hearing, Sen. Hassan asked Bhattacharya whether he'd follow the president's directives even if it meant breaking the law.
Bhattacharya said, “I don't believe the president will ever ask me to break the law."
Here, NIH is defying a court order — which ruled the agency broke the law
Bhattacharya said, “I don't believe the president will ever ask me to break the law."
Here, NIH is defying a court order — which ruled the agency broke the law
SCOOP: NIH appears to be disregarding last week's court order to stop screening grants using a process a judge ruled illegal.
This has many NIH staffers confused and worried about the legality of their actions.
This has many NIH staffers confused and worried about the legality of their actions.
Exclusive: NIH still screens grants in process a judge ruled illegal
Directives by the Trump administration are still being applied to grant applications despite court order.
www.nature.com
June 30, 2025 at 1:01 PM
At a recent hearing, Sen. Hassan asked Bhattacharya whether he'd follow the president's directives even if it meant breaking the law.
Bhattacharya said, “I don't believe the president will ever ask me to break the law."
Here, NIH is defying a court order — which ruled the agency broke the law
Bhattacharya said, “I don't believe the president will ever ask me to break the law."
Here, NIH is defying a court order — which ruled the agency broke the law
Reposted by Emily Costa, PhD
“It takes a lot to pull one over on New Yorkers, and when we looked around, the city described in Cuomo attack ads simply did not exist. We recognize that the city’s problems come mostly from the people above, and not the ones sitting next to us on the subway.”
We can have nice things
Zohran Mamdani proved you can fully embrace progressive values—and win.
www.thehandbasket.co
June 26, 2025 at 1:56 AM
“It takes a lot to pull one over on New Yorkers, and when we looked around, the city described in Cuomo attack ads simply did not exist. We recognize that the city’s problems come mostly from the people above, and not the ones sitting next to us on the subway.”
Reposted by Emily Costa, PhD
A Muslim son of immigrants might become mayor of NYC in part because he cross endorsed and supported a Jewish candidate and Black candidate, and vice versa.
It's a beautiful American story for the rest of us. A nightmare for all the right people ;)
It's so New York.
It's a beautiful American story for the rest of us. A nightmare for all the right people ;)
It's so New York.
June 25, 2025 at 1:47 AM
A Muslim son of immigrants might become mayor of NYC in part because he cross endorsed and supported a Jewish candidate and Black candidate, and vice versa.
It's a beautiful American story for the rest of us. A nightmare for all the right people ;)
It's so New York.
It's a beautiful American story for the rest of us. A nightmare for all the right people ;)
It's so New York.
Reposted by Emily Costa, PhD
just wanna put these two images next to each other for posterity's sake
June 25, 2025 at 4:03 AM
just wanna put these two images next to each other for posterity's sake
Reposted by Emily Costa, PhD
To treat Zohran Mamdani as the kind of “dangerous” force that requires pulling out every dirty trick, agèd reprobate, and millions of dollars while handling Trump’s constitutional demolition derby with kid gloves is simply unforgivable.
June 22, 2025 at 3:50 PM
To treat Zohran Mamdani as the kind of “dangerous” force that requires pulling out every dirty trick, agèd reprobate, and millions of dollars while handling Trump’s constitutional demolition derby with kid gloves is simply unforgivable.