Mike Shaffer
@mikerobiome.bsky.social
Bioinformatics Scientist and Microbiome Researcher
Reposted by Mike Shaffer
Yes, some people's legacies are complicated. For example, Watson. After all, though he was racist, don't forget his other traits. For example, he was also sexist. And also anti-semitic. And a data / idea thief. So let's not forget all the different facets.
November 8, 2025 at 12:52 AM
Yes, some people's legacies are complicated. For example, Watson. After all, though he was racist, don't forget his other traits. For example, he was also sexist. And also anti-semitic. And a data / idea thief. So let's not forget all the different facets.
Reposted by Mike Shaffer
as someone who is a hater, i accept and welcome the fact that i have haters. what is good for the goose, etc. in fact, i think people in this business should be more open about their hating. if we think our words matter, then we should feel some kind of way about people who do bad work.
I have accepted that I have haters, including people annoyed by the water drinking reminders, and I don't have the time or energy to care about them anymore.
this is something you just have to live with if you are even barely well-known online; people make up elaborate stories about you in their heads. it will always happen and you cannot give a shit about it, only stomp on it if they try to spread these weird tales to anybody you actually know.
September 19, 2025 at 3:23 PM
as someone who is a hater, i accept and welcome the fact that i have haters. what is good for the goose, etc. in fact, i think people in this business should be more open about their hating. if we think our words matter, then we should feel some kind of way about people who do bad work.
Reposted by Mike Shaffer
I took to the Nation to write as someone who has been doing “Abundance” since the very beginning.
It was started by a bunch of people in deep blue cities, I’m glad moderates are catching on but I don’t think it’s an either/or with other progressive policies.
www.thenation.com/article/poli...
It was started by a bunch of people in deep blue cities, I’m glad moderates are catching on but I don’t think it’s an either/or with other progressive policies.
www.thenation.com/article/poli...
As Progressive Elected Officials, We Choose Both Economic Populism and Abundance
The abundance agenda makes progressive populism more effective.
www.thenation.com
August 19, 2025 at 2:32 PM
I took to the Nation to write as someone who has been doing “Abundance” since the very beginning.
It was started by a bunch of people in deep blue cities, I’m glad moderates are catching on but I don’t think it’s an either/or with other progressive policies.
www.thenation.com/article/poli...
It was started by a bunch of people in deep blue cities, I’m glad moderates are catching on but I don’t think it’s an either/or with other progressive policies.
www.thenation.com/article/poli...
Reposted by Mike Shaffer
Not to belabor a "I told you so", but it's been clear for years that the whole "lab leak" discourse has absolutely nothing to do with a potential lab leak and everything to do with a broader anti-science agenda.
I really, and truly, hope more scientists will realize this and take corrective action.
I really, and truly, hope more scientists will realize this and take corrective action.
Atlantic: Why RFK Jr.’s Anti-Vaccine Campaign Is Working
The Trump administration’s COVID-revenge campaign has laid the groundwork for Kennedy’s larger agenda.
by Katherin J. Wu
bit.ly/4mfxk3S
The Trump administration’s COVID-revenge campaign has laid the groundwork for Kennedy’s larger agenda.
by Katherin J. Wu
bit.ly/4mfxk3S
Why RFK Jr.’s Anti-Vaccine Campaign Is Working
The Trump administration’s COVID-revenge campaign has laid the groundwork for Kennedy’s larger agenda.
bit.ly
August 13, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Not to belabor a "I told you so", but it's been clear for years that the whole "lab leak" discourse has absolutely nothing to do with a potential lab leak and everything to do with a broader anti-science agenda.
I really, and truly, hope more scientists will realize this and take corrective action.
I really, and truly, hope more scientists will realize this and take corrective action.
Reposted by Mike Shaffer
the trump movement has inculcated a genuinely rotten contempt for life in our collective political life and the real challenge will be extirpating it in favor of life-affirming solidarity youtu.be/Em6hb2Mg0XA?...
The Anti-Life Party
YouTube video by Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie
youtu.be
June 8, 2025 at 11:31 PM
the trump movement has inculcated a genuinely rotten contempt for life in our collective political life and the real challenge will be extirpating it in favor of life-affirming solidarity youtu.be/Em6hb2Mg0XA?...
Reposted by Mike Shaffer
@adamgurri.liberalcurrents.com makes a point here that i have alluded to in my work, which is that in key respects trump is an anti-republican (think political theory not political party) figure, who rejects the basic values of the american revolution
“Trump is a disgrace to our great country. He is unAmerican in his values and anti-American in his policies.” www.liberalcurrents.com/unfit-to-be-...
Unfit to Be the Ruler of a Free People: The Anti-American Presidency of Donald Trump
The Trump administration is an affront to everything good that America has become and everything America has ever sought to be.
www.liberalcurrents.com
April 29, 2025 at 12:36 PM
@adamgurri.liberalcurrents.com makes a point here that i have alluded to in my work, which is that in key respects trump is an anti-republican (think political theory not political party) figure, who rejects the basic values of the american revolution
Reposted by Mike Shaffer
I spent the day at the ICE Detention centers where Rümeysa Öztürk and Mahmoud Khalil are being unjustly detained. They've been taken thousands of miles away from home and denied due process.
I’m here to call for their immediate release and make it known that they haven’t been forgotten.
I’m here to call for their immediate release and make it known that they haven’t been forgotten.
April 23, 2025 at 1:09 AM
I spent the day at the ICE Detention centers where Rümeysa Öztürk and Mahmoud Khalil are being unjustly detained. They've been taken thousands of miles away from home and denied due process.
I’m here to call for their immediate release and make it known that they haven’t been forgotten.
I’m here to call for their immediate release and make it known that they haven’t been forgotten.
Reposted by Mike Shaffer
Andrew Chen, co-founder of one of my favorite denim brands, 3sixteen, breaks down how the tariffs affect his company
IG 3sixteen
IG 3sixteen
April 5, 2025 at 11:46 AM
Andrew Chen, co-founder of one of my favorite denim brands, 3sixteen, breaks down how the tariffs affect his company
IG 3sixteen
IG 3sixteen
Reposted by Mike Shaffer
In addition to re-stigmatizing lying and greed, we should make an effort to eradicate the "I'm just telling it like it is, unless you're gonna get me in trouble, in which case I'm just joking, why aren't you any fun?" move
April 1, 2025 at 2:05 PM
In addition to re-stigmatizing lying and greed, we should make an effort to eradicate the "I'm just telling it like it is, unless you're gonna get me in trouble, in which case I'm just joking, why aren't you any fun?" move
Reposted by Mike Shaffer
If the NIH gets messed up, there is no alternative. Not just in the US, but globally. It is by far the biggest engine of health research in the world. Which is why the idea that US scientists can just do their work elsewhere is a little fanciful.
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/politicizi...
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/politicizi...
March 20, 2025 at 1:07 PM
If the NIH gets messed up, there is no alternative. Not just in the US, but globally. It is by far the biggest engine of health research in the world. Which is why the idea that US scientists can just do their work elsewhere is a little fanciful.
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/politicizi...
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/politicizi...
Reposted by Mike Shaffer
An entirely reasonable and rational response by non-US scientists (and others) will be to stop coming to the US. These sorts of actions will turn the US into a pariah state, where embassies routinely offer warnings about traveler safety.
bsky.app/profile/drje...
bsky.app/profile/drje...
Yeah, don’t think I’ll be travelling to the United States anytime soon!
French researcher, going to a conference in Houston, was forbidden entry to US; his work and personal electronics were both confiscated.
Why? Because a “random search” of his cell phone revealed a negative personal opinion on Trump and the Trump administration. www.lemonde.fr/internationa...
Why? Because a “random search” of his cell phone revealed a negative personal opinion on Trump and the Trump administration. www.lemonde.fr/internationa...
March 19, 2025 at 6:43 PM
An entirely reasonable and rational response by non-US scientists (and others) will be to stop coming to the US. These sorts of actions will turn the US into a pariah state, where embassies routinely offer warnings about traveler safety.
bsky.app/profile/drje...
bsky.app/profile/drje...
Reposted by Mike Shaffer
When are we going to see pharma and biotech leaders step up and support the NIH? It would be nice if the private sector leadership had a spine and started advocating for the NIH…which has benefited their industry in uncountable ways.
Yet another extremely stupid and destructive move appears to be underway. Those people who advised me to calm down, that everything was actually going to work out fine, know what they can go do with themselves.
kffhealthnews.org/news/article...
kffhealthnews.org/news/article...
March 18, 2025 at 4:57 AM
When are we going to see pharma and biotech leaders step up and support the NIH? It would be nice if the private sector leadership had a spine and started advocating for the NIH…which has benefited their industry in uncountable ways.
Reposted by Mike Shaffer
The Good Place Committee needs to be run out of their jobs, one by one, until none of them are left.
March 14, 2025 at 11:48 PM
The Good Place Committee needs to be run out of their jobs, one by one, until none of them are left.
Reposted by Mike Shaffer
congrats to each of those democrats for voting to nullify article i of the constitution
March 14, 2025 at 9:40 PM
congrats to each of those democrats for voting to nullify article i of the constitution
Reposted by Mike Shaffer
👇🎯 Everything since January 20 boils down, ultimately, to a total failure of everyone in the legislative branch to fulfill their damn oaths of office to country & Constitution.
these people swore an oath to defend the constitution but i guess that’s just too hard
Schumer tells me Republicans might try to jam Democrats again in September, but thinks Trump will be less popular then and Republican appropriators might be more willing to stand up to him. He said they refused to do so now.
March 14, 2025 at 3:55 AM
👇🎯 Everything since January 20 boils down, ultimately, to a total failure of everyone in the legislative branch to fulfill their damn oaths of office to country & Constitution.
Reposted by Mike Shaffer
Have the DOGE boys gotten around to cancelling
a) a single weapons contract or
b) a single Elon Musk contract?
a) a single weapons contract or
b) a single Elon Musk contract?
March 12, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Have the DOGE boys gotten around to cancelling
a) a single weapons contract or
b) a single Elon Musk contract?
a) a single weapons contract or
b) a single Elon Musk contract?
Reposted by Mike Shaffer
Get in, loser, we're destroying the economy
March 12, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Get in, loser, we're destroying the economy
Reposted by Mike Shaffer
I'm sorry for raining on this parade, but the "transgender mice" talking point is bullshit, but not because someone mistook "transgenic" for "transgender."
The blog post that kicked it off (from a partisan bullshit website) listed a number of papers testing the effects of sex hormones on animals.
The blog post that kicked it off (from a partisan bullshit website) listed a number of papers testing the effects of sex hormones on animals.
March 6, 2025 at 4:26 PM
I'm sorry for raining on this parade, but the "transgender mice" talking point is bullshit, but not because someone mistook "transgenic" for "transgender."
The blog post that kicked it off (from a partisan bullshit website) listed a number of papers testing the effects of sex hormones on animals.
The blog post that kicked it off (from a partisan bullshit website) listed a number of papers testing the effects of sex hormones on animals.
Reposted by Mike Shaffer
I honestly believe our most powerful position in a toxic time that feeds on cynicism, apathy,& despair is to genuinely care and act for a better world.
Cynicism is our enemy. We should check it, incl. on the left. It’s not intellectually superior. It’s the virus they’re trying to infect us with. NO
Cynicism is our enemy. We should check it, incl. on the left. It’s not intellectually superior. It’s the virus they’re trying to infect us with. NO
January 31, 2025 at 7:04 PM
I honestly believe our most powerful position in a toxic time that feeds on cynicism, apathy,& despair is to genuinely care and act for a better world.
Cynicism is our enemy. We should check it, incl. on the left. It’s not intellectually superior. It’s the virus they’re trying to infect us with. NO
Cynicism is our enemy. We should check it, incl. on the left. It’s not intellectually superior. It’s the virus they’re trying to infect us with. NO
Reposted by Mike Shaffer
Occasional reminder that there’s no, “it’s too late, its over” for anthropogenic climate change. Every molecule of CO2 that doesn’t go into the atmosphere makes a difference. Preventing 0.1 degree of warming makes a difference. Every bit of climate resilience we build together makes a difference.
January 9, 2025 at 1:18 AM
Occasional reminder that there’s no, “it’s too late, its over” for anthropogenic climate change. Every molecule of CO2 that doesn’t go into the atmosphere makes a difference. Preventing 0.1 degree of warming makes a difference. Every bit of climate resilience we build together makes a difference.
I stole this earlier from my Tech Ed class (AKA shop class) when I was in 4th grade because I thought it was cool. Used it today while marking wood for a home improvement project. Full circle moment!
January 2, 2025 at 11:28 PM
I stole this earlier from my Tech Ed class (AKA shop class) when I was in 4th grade because I thought it was cool. Used it today while marking wood for a home improvement project. Full circle moment!
Reposted by Mike Shaffer
“The left needs to have voices that speak to young people!!”
I know I should keep my mouth shut, but I’ve watched at least a dozen smart, passionate, popular left wing content creators get torn to shreds /by the left/ until they retreat either into obscurity or apolitical content.
I know I should keep my mouth shut, but I’ve watched at least a dozen smart, passionate, popular left wing content creators get torn to shreds /by the left/ until they retreat either into obscurity or apolitical content.
November 7, 2024 at 3:45 PM
“The left needs to have voices that speak to young people!!”
I know I should keep my mouth shut, but I’ve watched at least a dozen smart, passionate, popular left wing content creators get torn to shreds /by the left/ until they retreat either into obscurity or apolitical content.
I know I should keep my mouth shut, but I’ve watched at least a dozen smart, passionate, popular left wing content creators get torn to shreds /by the left/ until they retreat either into obscurity or apolitical content.
Reposted by Mike Shaffer
DCR Will Make One of Its Pointless Charles River Highways Half As Pointless
DCR Will Make One of Its Pointless Charles River Highways Half As Pointless
The Commonwealth’s Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), the state’s parks agency, is moving ahead with plans to renovate a portion of the Leo Birmingham Parkway in Brighton with a smaller footprint and a new shared-use pathway. Birmingham…
dlvr.it
March 25, 2024 at 9:54 PM
DCR Will Make One of Its Pointless Charles River Highways Half As Pointless