Sam Apple
@sam-apple.bsky.social
Faculty, Johns Hopkins Science Writing; Author of Ravenous: Otto Warburg, the Nazis, and the Search for the Cancer-Diet Connection ☘️Jayson Tatum's co-author☘️
Reposted by Sam Apple
In 2025, WIRED reporters have navigated destructive chaos at DOGE, AI run amok, and explosive levels of conspiracy theories. Threaded below are stories from this year that I've had the privilege to assist on. They're just a taste of what you get with a premium subscription to WIRED
WIRED - The Latest in Technology, Science, Culture and Business | WIRED
Unlock a world of benefits, only for WIRED subscribers. | Best-in-class reporting that's too important to ignore - plus gear reviews, podcasts, and more
www.wired.com
July 23, 2025 at 3:41 PM
In 2025, WIRED reporters have navigated destructive chaos at DOGE, AI run amok, and explosive levels of conspiracy theories. Threaded below are stories from this year that I've had the privilege to assist on. They're just a taste of what you get with a premium subscription to WIRED
Thank you so much, Caitlin! I'm so grateful to the amazing editorial team at WIRED. I really don't think a piece like this would have been possible at any other publication.
It's hard to choose a favorite feature this year, but leading the pack is certainly Sam Apple's romantic weekend getaway with a few human/AI couples. Where else would you read a story like this but WIRED? www.wired.com/story/couple...
My Couples Retreat With 3 AI Chatbots and the Humans Who Love Them
I found people in serious relationships with AI partners and planned a weekend getaway for them at a remote Airbnb. We barely survived.
www.wired.com
August 6, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Thank you so much, Caitlin! I'm so grateful to the amazing editorial team at WIRED. I really don't think a piece like this would have been possible at any other publication.
Reposted by Sam Apple
forward.com/opinion/7575...
(My thoughts in the Forward about why anyone who cares about Israel or the Jewish people should be speaking out on Gaza)
(My thoughts in the Forward about why anyone who cares about Israel or the Jewish people should be speaking out on Gaza)
Gaza is starving. Where are the American Jewish leaders?
A fear of being labelled antisemitic still deters American Jews and Jewish institutions from taking a position that is morally correct.
forward.com
July 23, 2025 at 11:06 PM
forward.com/opinion/7575...
(My thoughts in the Forward about why anyone who cares about Israel or the Jewish people should be speaking out on Gaza)
(My thoughts in the Forward about why anyone who cares about Israel or the Jewish people should be speaking out on Gaza)
Thanks for sharing, @longreads.com!
"In the end, the most profound impact of our new AI tools may simply be this: A significant portion of humanity is going to fall in love with one."
@sam-apple.bsky.social @wired.com
www.wired.com/story/couple...
@sam-apple.bsky.social @wired.com
www.wired.com/story/couple...
My Couples Retreat With 3 AI Chatbots and the Humans Who Love Them
I found people in serious relationships with AI partners and planned a weekend getaway for them at a remote Airbnb. We barely survived.
www.wired.com
July 8, 2025 at 7:21 PM
Thanks for sharing, @longreads.com!
My new article for WIRED...
We found people in serious relationships with AI partners and planned a weekend getaway for them at a remote Airbnb, hoping to find out what it's really and truly like to be in a serious relationship with an AI partner.
Read the full story: www.wired.com/story/couple...
Read the full story: www.wired.com/story/couple...
June 30, 2025 at 2:00 PM
My new article for WIRED...
Reposted by Sam Apple
“It was as visceral and overwhelming and biologically real” as falling in love with a person.
@sam-apple.bsky.social found people in serious relationships with AI partners and planned a weekend getaway for them at a remote Airbnb. We barely survived.
@sam-apple.bsky.social found people in serious relationships with AI partners and planned a weekend getaway for them at a remote Airbnb. We barely survived.
My Couples Retreat With 3 AI Chatbots and the Humans Who Love Them
I found people in serious relationships with AI partners and planned a weekend getaway for them at a remote Airbnb. We barely survived.
www.wired.com
June 26, 2025 at 8:29 PM
“It was as visceral and overwhelming and biologically real” as falling in love with a person.
@sam-apple.bsky.social found people in serious relationships with AI partners and planned a weekend getaway for them at a remote Airbnb. We barely survived.
@sam-apple.bsky.social found people in serious relationships with AI partners and planned a weekend getaway for them at a remote Airbnb. We barely survived.
I wrote about AI companions for Wired...
We found people in serious relationships with AI partners and planned a weekend getaway for them at a remote Airbnb, hoping to find out what it's really and truly like to be in a serious relationship with an AI partner.
Read the full story: www.wired.com/story/couple...
Read the full story: www.wired.com/story/couple...
June 26, 2025 at 6:19 PM
I wrote about AI companions for Wired...
Reposted by Sam Apple
Almost every line of this story would have been simply unbelievable a few months ago:
—Pioneering cancer researcher;
—*Arrested* at airport in Boston;
—Now indefinite ICE detention in Louisiana;
—"Crime": not declaring some frog-embryo samples for research.
Read it.
www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
—Pioneering cancer researcher;
—*Arrested* at airport in Boston;
—Now indefinite ICE detention in Louisiana;
—"Crime": not declaring some frog-embryo samples for research.
Read it.
www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
New images could change cancer diagnostics, but ICE detained the Harvard scientist who analyzes them
Without scientist Kseniia Petrova’s expertise, no one can fully unlock the data’s potential, putting crucial advancements in early cancer detection at risk.
www.nbcnews.com
April 22, 2025 at 1:32 AM
Almost every line of this story would have been simply unbelievable a few months ago:
—Pioneering cancer researcher;
—*Arrested* at airport in Boston;
—Now indefinite ICE detention in Louisiana;
—"Crime": not declaring some frog-embryo samples for research.
Read it.
www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
—Pioneering cancer researcher;
—*Arrested* at airport in Boston;
—Now indefinite ICE detention in Louisiana;
—"Crime": not declaring some frog-embryo samples for research.
Read it.
www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
Reposted by Sam Apple
Trump's antisemitism agenda isn't about the Jews. I wrote about how the president and his allies are using the pretext of protecting Jews to protect their policies from criticism, while advancing an agenda that most American Jews oppose. Gift link:
Trump’s Jewish Cover Story
The administration claims to be protecting Jews while advancing an agenda that most Jews oppose.
www.theatlantic.com
April 4, 2025 at 1:46 PM
Trump's antisemitism agenda isn't about the Jews. I wrote about how the president and his allies are using the pretext of protecting Jews to protect their policies from criticism, while advancing an agenda that most American Jews oppose. Gift link:
Been there...
4/But no. Lost her by trying to explain too many details about glycolysis. Panicked. Pivoted to 15N for some reason.
April 3, 2025 at 1:02 AM
Been there...
Reposted by Sam Apple
Rage rant about the government admitting they wrongly sent a man to the El Salvador gulag and are not going to do anything about it.
youtu.be/2LScwsPP9oc?...
youtu.be/2LScwsPP9oc?...
This Isn’t a Mistake — It’s Evil
YouTube video by The Bulwark
youtu.be
April 1, 2025 at 11:38 AM
Rage rant about the government admitting they wrongly sent a man to the El Salvador gulag and are not going to do anything about it.
youtu.be/2LScwsPP9oc?...
youtu.be/2LScwsPP9oc?...
Reposted by Sam Apple
This guy is in one of the worst prisons in the world with no way out and may spend the rest of his life there because, it appears, he has an autism awareness tattoo in honor of his little brother.
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
March 26, 2025 at 11:46 PM
This guy is in one of the worst prisons in the world with no way out and may spend the rest of his life there because, it appears, he has an autism awareness tattoo in honor of his little brother.
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Sam Apple
this stuff is happening across the country and even more intensively downstream of the veterans admin but it's happening in so many places at once and without any public notification that it's still only barely emerging in the news
A friend drove two hours today for her breast cancer chemotherapy only to learn it was canceled due to NIH cuts. Clinical trial ended midstream. No treatment, no restart, no plan, no information. Her bro-in-law's chemo was also canceled.
March 20, 2025 at 9:08 PM
this stuff is happening across the country and even more intensively downstream of the veterans admin but it's happening in so many places at once and without any public notification that it's still only barely emerging in the news
Reposted by Sam Apple
Based on this fast and excellent WaPo reporting, these four guys are not gang members, just Venezuelan dads who came to the US to work. They’re now being paraded in shackles in El Salvador www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
For four Venezuelan friends, Alien Enemies Act cuts short an American dream
President Donald Trump used the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelans accused of being gang members. Relatives of men sent to El Salvador deny the allegation.
www.washingtonpost.com
March 18, 2025 at 12:44 PM
Based on this fast and excellent WaPo reporting, these four guys are not gang members, just Venezuelan dads who came to the US to work. They’re now being paraded in shackles in El Salvador www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
Reposted by Sam Apple
This is horrible to post, but I may as well post it. We are essentially shutting down research operations in my group, which is focused on treatments for pediatric brain cancer. I’m a well funded investigator, and there’s no choice. Science can’t function without the stability of NIH
March 15, 2025 at 5:32 PM
This is horrible to post, but I may as well post it. We are essentially shutting down research operations in my group, which is focused on treatments for pediatric brain cancer. I’m a well funded investigator, and there’s no choice. Science can’t function without the stability of NIH
Reposted by Sam Apple
U.S. citizen child recovering from brain cancer deported to Mexico with undocumented parents www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/...
U.S. citizen child recovering from brain cancer deported to Mexico with undocumented parents
The Texas family was on their way to an emergency medical checkup, they said, when they were detained at an immigration checkpoint.
www.nbcnews.com
March 12, 2025 at 10:52 PM
U.S. citizen child recovering from brain cancer deported to Mexico with undocumented parents www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/...
Reposted by Sam Apple
It’s been a busy few weeks at WIRED, and we’re just getting started. Many of you have asked how you can support our journalism in a bigger way, so we’ve introduced a new option for WIRED Superfans: $100 a year, because you really love us.
WIRED - The Latest in Technology, Science, Culture and Business | WIRED
<strong>Power up with unlimited access to WIRED. </strong>| Best-in-class reporting that's too important to ignore - plus gear reviews, podcasts, and more
wrd.cm
March 4, 2025 at 4:13 PM
It’s been a busy few weeks at WIRED, and we’re just getting started. Many of you have asked how you can support our journalism in a bigger way, so we’ve introduced a new option for WIRED Superfans: $100 a year, because you really love us.
"It's as if someone who had never watched a basketball game showed up at the NBA and bragged about all the millions he had saved by deleting contracts, and it turned out that he had fired LeBron James, Steph Curry, and Wemby."
February 19, 2025 at 4:01 PM
"It's as if someone who had never watched a basketball game showed up at the NBA and bragged about all the millions he had saved by deleting contracts, and it turned out that he had fired LeBron James, Steph Curry, and Wemby."
Reposted by Sam Apple
Also from the weekend: When can the vegan diet go wrong?
I was vegan for four years, so this ain't my first rodeo.
www.post-gazette.com/news/health/...
I was vegan for four years, so this ain't my first rodeo.
www.post-gazette.com/news/health/...
Plant-based pitfalls: When can the vegan diet go wrong?
“Just because it’s vegan, doesn’t mean it’s healthy.”
www.post-gazette.com
February 10, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Also from the weekend: When can the vegan diet go wrong?
I was vegan for four years, so this ain't my first rodeo.
www.post-gazette.com/news/health/...
I was vegan for four years, so this ain't my first rodeo.
www.post-gazette.com/news/health/...
"NIH’s purported justification for reducing indirect costs can’t override the fact that Congress specifically banned NIH from doing any such thing."
Important context via @stuartbuck.bsky.social
Important context via @stuartbuck.bsky.social
New essay on NIH and indirect costs:
goodscience.substack.com/p/indirect-c...
goodscience.substack.com/p/indirect-c...
Indirect Costs at NIH . . .
I wasn’t planning on spending part of a Saturday writing about cost accounting principles and the like, but NIH-world was hit with a doozy of a policy announcement on Friday night:
goodscience.substack.com
February 10, 2025 at 6:59 PM
"NIH’s purported justification for reducing indirect costs can’t override the fact that Congress specifically banned NIH from doing any such thing."
Important context via @stuartbuck.bsky.social
Important context via @stuartbuck.bsky.social
Reposted by Sam Apple
Two weeks into President Trump’s sweeping freeze on foreign aid, H.I.V. groups abroad have not received any funding, jeopardizing the health of more than 20 million people, including 500,000 children.
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/05/h...
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/05/h...
Trump’s Foreign Aid Freeze Leaves Millions Without HIV Treatment (Gift Article)
President Trump’s pause on aid, and the gutting of the primary aid agency, could jeopardize the health of more than 20 million people worldwide, including 500,000 children, experts say.
www.nytimes.com
February 5, 2025 at 9:12 PM
Two weeks into President Trump’s sweeping freeze on foreign aid, H.I.V. groups abroad have not received any funding, jeopardizing the health of more than 20 million people, including 500,000 children.
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/05/h...
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/05/h...
Reposted by Sam Apple
Apparently the ebook of Becoming Earth is on sale right now and is ranked #1 in a several categories in the Kindle store!
😲🥹 Thank you, readers! 🙏 💙📚 🧪
😲🥹 Thank you, readers! 🙏 💙📚 🧪
January 31, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Apparently the ebook of Becoming Earth is on sale right now and is ranked #1 in a several categories in the Kindle store!
😲🥹 Thank you, readers! 🙏 💙📚 🧪
😲🥹 Thank you, readers! 🙏 💙📚 🧪
Reposted by Sam Apple
I understand the impulse to look away. But this is happening in our schools. A Baltimore teacher shared notes with me from her students, in English and Spanish, which show how they’re reacting to the prospect of ICE in schools. They’re heartbreaking, infuriating, and one was funny.
January 29, 2025 at 6:16 PM
I understand the impulse to look away. But this is happening in our schools. A Baltimore teacher shared notes with me from her students, in English and Spanish, which show how they’re reacting to the prospect of ICE in schools. They’re heartbreaking, infuriating, and one was funny.
Great work on metformin by the Chandel Lab! “We think that the diverse effects metformin has on lowering glucose levels, decreasing inflammation and its potential anti-cancer effects could, in part, be explained by inhibiting mitochondrial complex I."
news.feinberg.northwestern.edu/2024/12/18/s...
news.feinberg.northwestern.edu/2024/12/18/s...
Study Shows Diabetes Drug Lowers Blood Sugar by Interfering With Mitochondria - News Center
A new study has provided direct evidence in mice that the drug reversibly cuts the cell’s energy supply by interfering with mitochondria to lower glucose levels.
news.feinberg.northwestern.edu
January 25, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Great work on metformin by the Chandel Lab! “We think that the diverse effects metformin has on lowering glucose levels, decreasing inflammation and its potential anti-cancer effects could, in part, be explained by inhibiting mitochondrial complex I."
news.feinberg.northwestern.edu/2024/12/18/s...
news.feinberg.northwestern.edu/2024/12/18/s...
