What’s up with Downes?
@gbdownes.bsky.social
Dad of two, Professor of Biology @UMass, rare disease researcher and advocate, SPINES @MBL director, and runner. I use zebrafish to study the genetic control of locomotion and epilepsy genes. 🧪🧬🧠
Reposted by What’s up with Downes?
In the aftermath of a global pandemic, and in the midst of two major public health crises (the ongoing measles and bird flu outbreaks), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announces that it is cutting 20,000 full-time jobs.
www.npr.org/sections/sho...
www.npr.org/sections/sho...
The Trump administration restructures federal health agencies, cuts 20,000 jobs
The reduction in force comes along with a reorganization of the Department of Health and Human Services, consolidating 28 divisions to 15.
www.npr.org
March 27, 2025 at 4:05 PM
In the aftermath of a global pandemic, and in the midst of two major public health crises (the ongoing measles and bird flu outbreaks), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announces that it is cutting 20,000 full-time jobs.
www.npr.org/sections/sho...
www.npr.org/sections/sho...
Reposted by What’s up with Downes?
Today I lost an NIH grant training clinicians to do research about intimate partner violence with perinatal women.
More women are murdered in the perinatal period than die of obstetric complications.
I didn't just lose a grant. We lost an entire cohort of people building careers to prevent that.
More women are murdered in the perinatal period than die of obstetric complications.
I didn't just lose a grant. We lost an entire cohort of people building careers to prevent that.
March 22, 2025 at 12:19 AM
Today I lost an NIH grant training clinicians to do research about intimate partner violence with perinatal women.
More women are murdered in the perinatal period than die of obstetric complications.
I didn't just lose a grant. We lost an entire cohort of people building careers to prevent that.
More women are murdered in the perinatal period than die of obstetric complications.
I didn't just lose a grant. We lost an entire cohort of people building careers to prevent that.
Reposted by What’s up with Downes?
March 10, 2025 at 5:12 PM
I'm excited to share that we have a new paper out! This is a review about a #RareDisease. We propose that #TBCK Syndrome, #PPP1R21 related intellectual disability, and #FERRY3 intellectual disability, all rare disease, may constitute a new disease class. (1/4)
journals.biologists.com/bio/article/...
journals.biologists.com/bio/article/...
Neurogenetic disorders associated with mutations in the FERRY complex: a novel disease class?
Summary: This Review provides a summary of cellular and molecular data about TBCK, PPP1R21, and FERRY3, components of the FERRY complex, and compares clinical symptoms observed upon their mutation.
journals.biologists.com
March 10, 2025 at 7:13 PM
I'm excited to share that we have a new paper out! This is a review about a #RareDisease. We propose that #TBCK Syndrome, #PPP1R21 related intellectual disability, and #FERRY3 intellectual disability, all rare disease, may constitute a new disease class. (1/4)
journals.biologists.com/bio/article/...
journals.biologists.com/bio/article/...
Reposted by What’s up with Downes?
"This is direct censorship of scientific research.”
"In an unprecedented move, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) has begun mass terminations of research grants that fund active scientific projects [Studies that touch on LGBT+ health, gender identity, and DEI ] because they no longer meet 'agency priorities'..."
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Exclusive: NIH to terminate hundreds of active research grants
Studies that touch on LGBT+ health, gender identity and DEI in the biomedical workforce could be terminated, according to documents obtained by Nature.
www.nature.com
March 6, 2025 at 3:03 AM
"This is direct censorship of scientific research.”
Reposted by What’s up with Downes?
US President Donald Trump is taking a wrecking ball to science and to international institutions. The global research community must take a stand against these attacks.
https://go.nature.com/4kd1vIu
https://go.nature.com/4kd1vIu
Trump 2.0: an assault on science anywhere is an assault on science everywhere
US President Donald Trump is taking a wrecking ball to science and to international institutions. The global research community must take a stand against these attacks.
go.nature.com
February 25, 2025 at 9:53 PM
US President Donald Trump is taking a wrecking ball to science and to international institutions. The global research community must take a stand against these attacks.
https://go.nature.com/4kd1vIu
https://go.nature.com/4kd1vIu
Reposted by What’s up with Downes?
"I promise, America will soon be the Cybertruck of countries—uglier than you could have imagined, built for rich chuds, borderline inoperable, and on fire."
Here at DOGE, We’ve Streamlined Every Aspect of America’s Collapse
"Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent gave representatives of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency access to the federal payment system la...
buff.ly
February 8, 2025 at 3:00 PM
"I promise, America will soon be the Cybertruck of countries—uglier than you could have imagined, built for rich chuds, borderline inoperable, and on fire."
Reposted by What’s up with Downes?
Hi all, I am in contact with a reporter at Science magazine who would like to talk with a trainee or mentor who successfully applied for an equity/DEI-related NIH training grant or a training supplement but have not received the Notice of Award and probably won't get the grant.
February 6, 2025 at 1:10 AM
Hi all, I am in contact with a reporter at Science magazine who would like to talk with a trainee or mentor who successfully applied for an equity/DEI-related NIH training grant or a training supplement but have not received the Notice of Award and probably won't get the grant.
Reposted by What’s up with Downes?
Reminder that @europepmc.org is a mirror of Pubmed with better search and that it indexes *all* bioRxiv preprints (as well as ResearchSquare), not just the ones funded by NIH like chauvinist Pubmed
I’m very scared to see what happens to PubMed
January 31, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Reminder that @europepmc.org is a mirror of Pubmed with better search and that it indexes *all* bioRxiv preprints (as well as ResearchSquare), not just the ones funded by NIH like chauvinist Pubmed
Hope this is real.
This account is for sharing info with US scientists, both extramural and intramural to NIH, about attacks on science in the US.
Education is power, and we can help advocate for science and medicine together. 💪🧪
We are a team of NIH people. Please ask us questions you might have.
Education is power, and we can help advocate for science and medicine together. 💪🧪
We are a team of NIH people. Please ask us questions you might have.
January 31, 2025 at 3:35 AM
Hope this is real.
Reposted by What’s up with Downes?
🚨PIs of Training Grants and Programs, ESPECIALLY training grants that support students from historically excluded groups (T32s and T34s, IMSD, MARC, PREP, MOSAIC, etc.)🚨
We need to push back on the loss of information and the disappearance of websites about these resources.
We need to push back on the loss of information and the disappearance of websites about these resources.
January 29, 2025 at 6:48 PM
🚨PIs of Training Grants and Programs, ESPECIALLY training grants that support students from historically excluded groups (T32s and T34s, IMSD, MARC, PREP, MOSAIC, etc.)🚨
We need to push back on the loss of information and the disappearance of websites about these resources.
We need to push back on the loss of information and the disappearance of websites about these resources.
Can someone please explain to me the legal basis for dismantling DEI programs? I get that the Supreme Court ruled against using race-based affirmative action for Higher Ed admissions but, if you take race out of the equation, does that make every program that mentions DEI ‘illegal’?
January 29, 2025 at 11:31 PM
Can someone please explain to me the legal basis for dismantling DEI programs? I get that the Supreme Court ruled against using race-based affirmative action for Higher Ed admissions but, if you take race out of the equation, does that make every program that mentions DEI ‘illegal’?
Reposted by What’s up with Downes?
🧪👩🏽🔬👩🔬👩🏻🔬👩🏼🔬👩🏾🔬👩🏿🔬
The L’Oréal USA For Women in Science program awards women postdoctoral scientists. Candidates must have their PhD, started their postdoctoral research position, and be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. Applications due 5:00pm ET on Friday, February 14.
www.loreal.com/en/usa/pages...
www.loreal.com/en/usa/pages...
L'Oréal USA For Women in Science
The L’Oréal USA For Women in Science program has awarded 80 postdoctoral women scientists over $4 million in grants since 2003.
www.loreal.com
January 29, 2025 at 2:57 PM
🧪👩🏽🔬👩🔬👩🏻🔬👩🏼🔬👩🏾🔬👩🏿🔬
Reposted by What’s up with Downes?
Once again, this administration reveals how it stands in the way of scientific progress and process: Preprints enable scientists to communicate their science more rapidly and widely. 🧪
NIH staff told they can submit papers to journals but not preprints. "a short pause to allow the new team to set up a process for review and prioritization" <- review by whom...? www.science.org/content/arti... ht @philipncohen.com 1/2
NIH memo addresses ‘confusion’ about restrictions imposed by Trump, easing some concerns
Memo from acting director to staff allows some purchasing, and suggests travel and study sections could soon resume
www.science.org
January 28, 2025 at 7:19 PM
Once again, this administration reveals how it stands in the way of scientific progress and process: Preprints enable scientists to communicate their science more rapidly and widely. 🧪
Reposted by What’s up with Downes?
This looks awesome! I hope people will use it in combination with @adrienjouary.bsky.social 's megabouts.ai, which can lower the time resolution needed for bout identification, helping to enable low cost experimental set-ups.
January 28, 2025 at 5:11 PM
This looks awesome! I hope people will use it in combination with @adrienjouary.bsky.social 's megabouts.ai, which can lower the time resolution needed for bout identification, helping to enable low cost experimental set-ups.
I'm thrilled to announce that our paper describing Marigold, a free machine learning-based webapp for zebrafish behavioral analysis, is officially published! Marigold features a user friendly graphical user interface to enable training of a neural network for analyzing behavioral recordings.
January 28, 2025 at 4:23 PM
I'm thrilled to announce that our paper describing Marigold, a free machine learning-based webapp for zebrafish behavioral analysis, is officially published! Marigold features a user friendly graphical user interface to enable training of a neural network for analyzing behavioral recordings.
Reposted by What’s up with Downes?
On the migration of the scientific community to Bluesky:
www.nature.com/articles/d41... 🧪
www.nature.com/articles/d41... 🧪
Bluesky’s science takeover: 70% of Nature poll respondents use platform
Roughly 6,000 readers answered our poll, with many declaring that Bluesky was nicer, kinder and less antagonistic to science than X.
www.nature.com
January 27, 2025 at 8:19 PM
On the migration of the scientific community to Bluesky:
www.nature.com/articles/d41... 🧪
www.nature.com/articles/d41... 🧪
Reposted by What’s up with Downes?
I’m an NSF panel reviewer that was scheduled to meet today. Just got notice that all NSF panels were canceled today. I reviewed some innovative proposals in support of students. Devastating if these scholars don’t get to do this work. For the love of science & students I hope this is just a delay.💔
January 27, 2025 at 2:45 PM
I’m an NSF panel reviewer that was scheduled to meet today. Just got notice that all NSF panels were canceled today. I reviewed some innovative proposals in support of students. Devastating if these scholars don’t get to do this work. For the love of science & students I hope this is just a delay.💔
Reposted by What’s up with Downes?
People are about to learn just how many programs, departments, events, roles, etc for Black and brown folks were federally funded (and in some cases federally protected). All the Black ppl who always ask "what have the dems even done for us" are about to get the most dramatic answer possible.
January 24, 2025 at 2:39 PM
People are about to learn just how many programs, departments, events, roles, etc for Black and brown folks were federally funded (and in some cases federally protected). All the Black ppl who always ask "what have the dems even done for us" are about to get the most dramatic answer possible.
Reposted by What’s up with Downes?
NIH appears to have canceled/postponed all of its study sections—the independent review panels that approve federal grants for health research.
Such grants fund the work/salaries of 300k people at more than 2,500 institutions
Such grants fund the work/salaries of 300k people at more than 2,500 institutions
All NIH study sections canceled indefinitely. This will halt science and devastate research budgets in universities.
January 22, 2025 at 9:27 PM
NIH appears to have canceled/postponed all of its study sections—the independent review panels that approve federal grants for health research.
Such grants fund the work/salaries of 300k people at more than 2,500 institutions
Such grants fund the work/salaries of 300k people at more than 2,500 institutions
NIH Study Sections are getting abruptly cancelled, folks. 🧬🧠
January 22, 2025 at 6:57 PM
NIH Study Sections are getting abruptly cancelled, folks. 🧬🧠
Reposted by What’s up with Downes?
The guy who manufactured the outrage against Critical Race Theory and Elon Musk are now just simply firing non-whites and non-males in the federal government.
January 22, 2025 at 5:57 PM
The guy who manufactured the outrage against Critical Race Theory and Elon Musk are now just simply firing non-whites and non-males in the federal government.
Reposted by What’s up with Downes?
New: Trump officials have paused all external communications at health agencies like CDC, FDA, NIH.
No health alerts and the famed MMWRs; no updates to key websites or social media posts.
And no indication how long the pause will last.
With @rachelroubein.bsky.social + Lena Sun.
No health alerts and the famed MMWRs; no updates to key websites or social media posts.
And no indication how long the pause will last.
With @rachelroubein.bsky.social + Lena Sun.
Trump officials pause health agencies’ communications, citing review
The agencies are charged with making decisions that touch the lives of every American and are the source of crucial information to health-care providers.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 22, 2025 at 12:30 AM
New: Trump officials have paused all external communications at health agencies like CDC, FDA, NIH.
No health alerts and the famed MMWRs; no updates to key websites or social media posts.
And no indication how long the pause will last.
With @rachelroubein.bsky.social + Lena Sun.
No health alerts and the famed MMWRs; no updates to key websites or social media posts.
And no indication how long the pause will last.
With @rachelroubein.bsky.social + Lena Sun.
Thoughts about January 20th- Happy MLK Day! I spent the long weekend on Martha's Vineyard. While there, I went to a nice talk at the MV History Museum and heard about how MLK spent his time on the island thinking, writing, and, perhaps most importantly, resting. (1/5)
January 21, 2025 at 7:08 PM
Thoughts about January 20th- Happy MLK Day! I spent the long weekend on Martha's Vineyard. While there, I went to a nice talk at the MV History Museum and heard about how MLK spent his time on the island thinking, writing, and, perhaps most importantly, resting. (1/5)