Delthia Ricks
@dricks.bsky.social
Science writer, author, essayist & avid gardener.
Pinned
Delthia Ricks
@dricks.bsky.social
· Dec 21
The contrast between Rwanda’s handling of Marburg and the chaotic response to Covid-19 is stark
The country’s response prevented a crisis – and provided the world with a valuable blueprint for effective outbreak control
www.telegraph.co.uk
The stark contrast between Rwanda’s handling of a deadly Marburg virus outbreak this year & the rest of the world’s chaotic response to #Covid provides textbook lessons in how to properly respond to a threat and how to make a threat worse www.telegraph.co.uk/global-healt...
Florida: A measles outbreak has been linked to Ave Maria University near Naples, Florida and at least 12 cases have been reported. The state no longer endorses vaccination against communicable infections. This is America under the Trump regime 👇
Measles outbreak linked to a Florida university as cases keep rising in the U.S.
Ave Maria University near Naples has at least 12 cases.
www.nbcnews.com
February 5, 2026 at 4:49 PM
Florida: A measles outbreak has been linked to Ave Maria University near Naples, Florida and at least 12 cases have been reported. The state no longer endorses vaccination against communicable infections. This is America under the Trump regime 👇
A newborn's death appears to be linked to mom's consumption of raw milk in pregnancy. The baby's death comes in the wake of rising sales—and interest in—raw milk. RFKjr is vocal proponent of it.
Pasteurization exists for a reason: raw milk contains active & potentially lethal bacteria👇
Pasteurization exists for a reason: raw milk contains active & potentially lethal bacteria👇
Newborn's Death Appears Linked to Mom Drinking Raw Milk in Pregnancy
Interest in and sales of raw milk have been rising in recent years
www.medpagetoday.com
February 5, 2026 at 4:33 PM
A newborn's death appears to be linked to mom's consumption of raw milk in pregnancy. The baby's death comes in the wake of rising sales—and interest in—raw milk. RFKjr is vocal proponent of it.
Pasteurization exists for a reason: raw milk contains active & potentially lethal bacteria👇
Pasteurization exists for a reason: raw milk contains active & potentially lethal bacteria👇
Measles is causing brain swelling in children in South Carolina.
In that state's ongoing measles outbreak, which has resulted in
>800 cases, some children have developed a rare but serious complication called encephalitis👇
#VaccinesWork
In that state's ongoing measles outbreak, which has resulted in
>800 cases, some children have developed a rare but serious complication called encephalitis👇
#VaccinesWork
Measles Is Causing Brain Swelling in Children in South Carolina
In the ongoing measles outbreak in South Carolina that has infected more than 800 people, some children have developed a rare but serious complication called encephalitis.
www.wired.com
February 5, 2026 at 4:33 PM
Measles is causing brain swelling in children in South Carolina.
In that state's ongoing measles outbreak, which has resulted in
>800 cases, some children have developed a rare but serious complication called encephalitis👇
#VaccinesWork
In that state's ongoing measles outbreak, which has resulted in
>800 cases, some children have developed a rare but serious complication called encephalitis👇
#VaccinesWork
Reposted by Delthia Ricks
A city under pressure & a community in defiance: Why Minneapolis was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. The Nation magazine nominated the city's citizens because of their peaceful actions following the Trump regime's mass deployment of thousands of masked, violent agents of terror👇
A City Under Pressure, a Community in Defiance: Why Minneapolis Was Nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize | MinneapoliMedia
Minneapolis has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for its nonviolent resistance to a federal immigration crackdown. The city's solidarity defines a global moral stage.
minneapolimedia.town.news
February 5, 2026 at 3:54 PM
A city under pressure & a community in defiance: Why Minneapolis was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. The Nation magazine nominated the city's citizens because of their peaceful actions following the Trump regime's mass deployment of thousands of masked, violent agents of terror👇
Reposted by Delthia Ricks
“Every person I spoke to in Minnesota and Maine said that the disruption to their children’s lives was much worse than with Covid. At least then they knew that they would be safe when they were inside.”
Opinion | Welcome to the Resistance, Public School Parents
www.nytimes.com
February 4, 2026 at 11:23 PM
“Every person I spoke to in Minnesota and Maine said that the disruption to their children’s lives was much worse than with Covid. At least then they knew that they would be safe when they were inside.”
Reposted by Delthia Ricks
The report of the unusual mortality event of south polar skuas from highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 in 2024 by the HPAI Australis Expedition is now published in volume 16 of Scientific Reports. Here is the press release from UC Davis about this publication.
www.ucdavis.edu/health/news/...
www.ucdavis.edu/health/news/...
H5N1 Causes Die-off of Antarctic Skuas, a Seabird
More than 50 skua deaths in Antarctica from H5N1 mark the first confirmed die-off of wildlife from bird flu on the continent, reports study from UC Davis and Erasmus MC.
www.ucdavis.edu
February 5, 2026 at 4:11 PM
The report of the unusual mortality event of south polar skuas from highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 in 2024 by the HPAI Australis Expedition is now published in volume 16 of Scientific Reports. Here is the press release from UC Davis about this publication.
www.ucdavis.edu/health/news/...
www.ucdavis.edu/health/news/...
Reposted by Delthia Ricks
Today in #BlackHistoryMonth, 2/4/1913 #Rosa Parks was born. 1955 refused to move to the back of the bus in a planned #directaction against #JimCrow, sparking Montgomery Bus #Boycott. Later in her life, she became a supporter of the Black Power Movement and an anti-Apartheid activist.
February 4, 2026 at 3:13 PM
Today in #BlackHistoryMonth, 2/4/1913 #Rosa Parks was born. 1955 refused to move to the back of the bus in a planned #directaction against #JimCrow, sparking Montgomery Bus #Boycott. Later in her life, she became a supporter of the Black Power Movement and an anti-Apartheid activist.
Reposted by Delthia Ricks
My friend lives in this building and said it was truly terrifying. The whole building woke up to their building being broken into by federal agents all to grab some guy who’s posted about being anti facist.
After 6am this morning in Whittier, Minneapolis—FOUR BLOCKS from where Pretti was murdered.
18 agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) markings smashed an apartment window, ran in, and came out with one man.
18 agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) markings smashed an apartment window, ran in, and came out with one man.
February 5, 2026 at 3:10 PM
My friend lives in this building and said it was truly terrifying. The whole building woke up to their building being broken into by federal agents all to grab some guy who’s posted about being anti facist.
Reposted by Delthia Ricks
Donald Trump is suing his own IRS for $10 billion in taxpayer money.
Read that again.
The President of the United States is trying to use the federal government to extract money from American taxpayers and deposit it directly into his own pocket.
Read that again.
The President of the United States is trying to use the federal government to extract money from American taxpayers and deposit it directly into his own pocket.
Trump sues IRS and Treasury for $10 billion over leaked tax information
President Trump is suing the IRS and Treasury Department for $10 billion, accusing them of failing to prevent a leak of his tax information to news outlets.
www.npr.org
February 5, 2026 at 2:51 PM
Donald Trump is suing his own IRS for $10 billion in taxpayer money.
Read that again.
The President of the United States is trying to use the federal government to extract money from American taxpayers and deposit it directly into his own pocket.
Read that again.
The President of the United States is trying to use the federal government to extract money from American taxpayers and deposit it directly into his own pocket.
A city under pressure & a community in defiance: Why Minneapolis was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. The Nation magazine nominated the city's citizens because of their peaceful actions following the Trump regime's mass deployment of thousands of masked, violent agents of terror👇
A City Under Pressure, a Community in Defiance: Why Minneapolis Was Nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize | MinneapoliMedia
Minneapolis has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for its nonviolent resistance to a federal immigration crackdown. The city's solidarity defines a global moral stage.
minneapolimedia.town.news
February 5, 2026 at 3:54 PM
A city under pressure & a community in defiance: Why Minneapolis was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. The Nation magazine nominated the city's citizens because of their peaceful actions following the Trump regime's mass deployment of thousands of masked, violent agents of terror👇
Reposted by Delthia Ricks
#LongCovid patients had distinct enlargement & reduced cerebral blood flow in a region of the brain called the choroid plexus. The alteration to that region in #LongCovid correlates w/ cognitive impairment, a new study found alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Choroid plexus alterations in long COVID and their associations with Alzheimer's disease risks
INTRODUCTION
Choroid plexus (ChP) enlargement is a neuroimaging biomarker of neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. However, evidence of ChP structural and perfusion alterations in long coronaviru.....
alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
February 4, 2026 at 3:54 PM
#LongCovid patients had distinct enlargement & reduced cerebral blood flow in a region of the brain called the choroid plexus. The alteration to that region in #LongCovid correlates w/ cognitive impairment, a new study found alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Reposted by Delthia Ricks
Minneapolis patients are avoiding medical care because they feel hunted by ICE. Masked & armed ICE agents have been seen inside & around the city's hospitals. Even U.S. citizens, if they have an accent or worry that they look like someone ICE might target, are fearful of seeking medical care👇
Minneapolis Patients Avoid Care, Say They Feel 'Hunted' by ICE, Doctor Says
'Birth doesn't feel as beautiful and as happy as it did before,' says an obstetric nurse
www.medpagetoday.com
February 3, 2026 at 1:26 PM
Minneapolis patients are avoiding medical care because they feel hunted by ICE. Masked & armed ICE agents have been seen inside & around the city's hospitals. Even U.S. citizens, if they have an accent or worry that they look like someone ICE might target, are fearful of seeking medical care👇
Reposted by Delthia Ricks
Extortion👇
“U.S. President Donald Trump demanded Harvard pay $1 billion in a settlement in a Truth Social post Monday night, pushing back against reports that the White House would no longer demand a cash payment from the University.”
Trump Calls for $1 Billion Settlement From Harvard | News | The Harvard Crimson
U.S. President Donald Trump demanded Harvard pay $1 billion in a settlement in a Truth Social post Monday night, pushing back against reports that the White House would no longer demand a cash payment...
www.thecrimson.com
February 3, 2026 at 12:42 PM
Extortion👇
In France, it's clear the GOP plans to trash the midterms. A rough translation of @leperefidalbion.bsky.social on Tommy Tuberville
The Republicans have gotten a taste of the massive defeat they face in November & unsurprisingly, they're playing a long-planned wild card: destabilizing the elections👇
The Republicans have gotten a taste of the massive defeat they face in November & unsurprisingly, they're playing a long-planned wild card: destabilizing the elections👇
Et c'est parti hein. Les Républicains ont touché du doigt la gigantesque tarte qu'ils vont prendre en novembre, et sans surprise, ils jouent leur wild card, affichée de longue date : miner le terrain pour faire vaciller les élections.
Sen. Tuberville: "We gotta get rid of these voting machines. There's a half dozen people here in the House and Senate that did not get elected. It was all bogus. We've seen the evidence."
February 3, 2026 at 10:54 PM
In France, it's clear the GOP plans to trash the midterms. A rough translation of @leperefidalbion.bsky.social on Tommy Tuberville
The Republicans have gotten a taste of the massive defeat they face in November & unsurprisingly, they're playing a long-planned wild card: destabilizing the elections👇
The Republicans have gotten a taste of the massive defeat they face in November & unsurprisingly, they're playing a long-planned wild card: destabilizing the elections👇
Reposted by Delthia Ricks
Et c'est parti hein. Les Républicains ont touché du doigt la gigantesque tarte qu'ils vont prendre en novembre, et sans surprise, ils jouent leur wild card, affichée de longue date : miner le terrain pour faire vaciller les élections.
Sen. Tuberville: "We gotta get rid of these voting machines. There's a half dozen people here in the House and Senate that did not get elected. It was all bogus. We've seen the evidence."
February 3, 2026 at 9:22 PM
Et c'est parti hein. Les Républicains ont touché du doigt la gigantesque tarte qu'ils vont prendre en novembre, et sans surprise, ils jouent leur wild card, affichée de longue date : miner le terrain pour faire vaciller les élections.
The Holocaust didn't begin with gas chambers. It started with ideas, stereotypes, dehumanization, etc. Well stated below👇
Auschwitz was at the end of a process. We must remember that it did not start from gas chambers.
This hatred gradually developed: from ideas, words, stereotypes & prejudice through legal exclusion, dehumanization & escalating violence... to systematic and industrial murder.
Auschwitz took time.
This hatred gradually developed: from ideas, words, stereotypes & prejudice through legal exclusion, dehumanization & escalating violence... to systematic and industrial murder.
Auschwitz took time.
February 3, 2026 at 7:42 PM
The Holocaust didn't begin with gas chambers. It started with ideas, stereotypes, dehumanization, etc. Well stated below👇
Reposted by Delthia Ricks
The US is increasingly resembling the Third Reich: US military is helping Trump to build a massive network of concentration camps.
The DHS is using a repurposed $55 billion Navy contract to convert warehouses into jails and build tent cities. These facilities should house 10,000 people each.
The DHS is using a repurposed $55 billion Navy contract to convert warehouses into jails and build tent cities. These facilities should house 10,000 people each.
US Military Helping Trump to Build Massive Network of ‘Concentration Camps,’ Navy Contract Reveals | Common Dreams
Military Helping Trump to Build Massive Network of 'Concentration Camps,' Navy Contract Reveals
www.commondreams.org
February 2, 2026 at 8:59 PM
The US is increasingly resembling the Third Reich: US military is helping Trump to build a massive network of concentration camps.
The DHS is using a repurposed $55 billion Navy contract to convert warehouses into jails and build tent cities. These facilities should house 10,000 people each.
The DHS is using a repurposed $55 billion Navy contract to convert warehouses into jails and build tent cities. These facilities should house 10,000 people each.
Reposted by Delthia Ricks
Segmented filamentous bacteria reprogramming of alveolar macrophages limits postinfluenza bacterial pneumonia | Science Immunology www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Segmented filamentous bacteria reprogramming of alveolar macrophages limits postinfluenza bacterial pneumonia
SFB colonization phenotypically alters alveolar macrophages, maintaining their antibacterial functions in inflamed interferon-rich lungs.
www.science.org
February 3, 2026 at 6:56 AM
Segmented filamentous bacteria reprogramming of alveolar macrophages limits postinfluenza bacterial pneumonia | Science Immunology www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Delthia Ricks
🥳 Our 9th most downloaded #REVIEW in 2025:
The immune microenvironment of colorectal cancer
#TME #colorectalcancer @NatResCancer
#NRCtop10of2025
The immune microenvironment of colorectal cancer
#TME #colorectalcancer @NatResCancer
#NRCtop10of2025
The immune microenvironment of colorectal cancer - Nature Reviews Cancer
In this Review, Kennel and Greten highlight the role of immune cells in colorectal cancer (CRC) development, progression and metastasis as well as the impact of therapies on the immune microenvironment. They emphasize the need for novel strategies to enhance immunogenicity and CRC patient stratification to improve outcomes.
dlvr.it
February 3, 2026 at 4:48 PM
🥳 Our 9th most downloaded #REVIEW in 2025:
The immune microenvironment of colorectal cancer
#TME #colorectalcancer @NatResCancer
#NRCtop10of2025
The immune microenvironment of colorectal cancer
#TME #colorectalcancer @NatResCancer
#NRCtop10of2025
Reposted by Delthia Ricks
#Fungus could be the #insecticide of the future ...
| #fungi | #insects | #pathogen | #antimicrobials | Via @arstechnica.com
| #fungi | #insects | #pathogen | #antimicrobials | Via @arstechnica.com
Fungus could be the insecticide of the future
Plant chemicals made more potent by insect pests are detoxified by the fungus.
arstechnica.com
February 3, 2026 at 2:01 PM
#Fungus could be the #insecticide of the future ...
| #fungi | #insects | #pathogen | #antimicrobials | Via @arstechnica.com
| #fungi | #insects | #pathogen | #antimicrobials | Via @arstechnica.com
Reposted by Delthia Ricks
February 3, 2026 at 5:08 PM
Reposted by Delthia Ricks
Unlike other #bacteria, C. difficile must detect both germinant & co-germinant signals to trigger #spore #germination. This study finds that the CspC:CspA complex is a key signaling node that integrates environmental cues to regulate #Cdifficile spore germination @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/4rtCKdZ
February 3, 2026 at 5:25 PM
Unlike other #bacteria, C. difficile must detect both germinant & co-germinant signals to trigger #spore #germination. This study finds that the CspC:CspA complex is a key signaling node that integrates environmental cues to regulate #Cdifficile spore germination @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/4rtCKdZ
Reposted by Delthia Ricks
Why are there such big differences between the sexes when it comes to immune responses? This Essay looks at what further research is required to fully determine sex-differential mechanisms in #immunity.🧪 #immunosky
Knowledge gaps and research priorities to understand sex differences in immunity
Immunity differs profoundly according to biological sex, leading to sex differences in autoimmunity, infections, cancer and responses to immunotherapy and vaccines. This Essay explores the major…
plos.io
February 3, 2026 at 5:35 PM
Why are there such big differences between the sexes when it comes to immune responses? This Essay looks at what further research is required to fully determine sex-differential mechanisms in #immunity.🧪 #immunosky
Reposted by Delthia Ricks
#Azole resistance in #Candida albicans poses a growing threat, and is linked to #StressResponse. @annaselmecki.bsky.social &co show that mutations in the oxidative stress TF Cap1 promote #DrugResistance while exposing a lethal vulnerability at high azole doses @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/4rOrfOz
February 3, 2026 at 5:40 PM
#Azole resistance in #Candida albicans poses a growing threat, and is linked to #StressResponse. @annaselmecki.bsky.social &co show that mutations in the oxidative stress TF Cap1 promote #DrugResistance while exposing a lethal vulnerability at high azole doses @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/4rOrfOz