Lowell.PhD
@drlowell.bsky.social
I’m a PhD cellular & molecular biologist turned science writer, here to learn and share good scicomm and social knowledge.
I’m also an empathetic human, feminist, wife, mother, and geek. Repost does not = endorsement. Opinions are my own. (She/her)
I’m also an empathetic human, feminist, wife, mother, and geek. Repost does not = endorsement. Opinions are my own. (She/her)
Reposted by Lowell.PhD
AOC to @pabloreports.bsky.social : A swastika is one of the clearest symbols of hatred in all of humanity… to remove that designation… indicates a possible collaboration with those very elements, which I think is genuinely frightening to any American.
November 21, 2025 at 12:00 AM
AOC to @pabloreports.bsky.social : A swastika is one of the clearest symbols of hatred in all of humanity… to remove that designation… indicates a possible collaboration with those very elements, which I think is genuinely frightening to any American.
Reposted by Lowell.PhD
If you receive an illegal order, you have a duty to disobey.
This isn’t controversial.
A President calling for the execution of anyone who reminds service members of this oath is showing us why the duty to disobey illegal orders is so important in the first place.
This isn’t controversial.
A President calling for the execution of anyone who reminds service members of this oath is showing us why the duty to disobey illegal orders is so important in the first place.
November 21, 2025 at 12:14 AM
If you receive an illegal order, you have a duty to disobey.
This isn’t controversial.
A President calling for the execution of anyone who reminds service members of this oath is showing us why the duty to disobey illegal orders is so important in the first place.
This isn’t controversial.
A President calling for the execution of anyone who reminds service members of this oath is showing us why the duty to disobey illegal orders is so important in the first place.
Reposted by Lowell.PhD
The Coast Guard will no longer classify swastikas and nooses as hate symbols.
This action, coupled with the President's call to hang Democratic members of Congress - both in the past few hrs - are more than "potentially divisive."
They are vile, unconscionable, and dangerous.
This action, coupled with the President's call to hang Democratic members of Congress - both in the past few hrs - are more than "potentially divisive."
They are vile, unconscionable, and dangerous.
November 20, 2025 at 9:29 PM
The Coast Guard will no longer classify swastikas and nooses as hate symbols.
This action, coupled with the President's call to hang Democratic members of Congress - both in the past few hrs - are more than "potentially divisive."
They are vile, unconscionable, and dangerous.
This action, coupled with the President's call to hang Democratic members of Congress - both in the past few hrs - are more than "potentially divisive."
They are vile, unconscionable, and dangerous.
Reposted by Lowell.PhD
I assume it was the pending lawsuits and not a crisis of conscience that prompted the pivot.
November 1, 2025 at 4:06 AM
I assume it was the pending lawsuits and not a crisis of conscience that prompted the pivot.
Reposted by Lowell.PhD
This is the hardest I have seen any member of Congress work to try and address transphobia in Congress, and her ability to get nearly all Democratic lawmakers to sign onto this letter is something any first would applaud
House Dems unite to tell GOP to stop "demonizing" trans people with "dehumanizing" slurs - LGBTQ Nation
Rep. Nancy Mace's "tra**y, tra**y, tra**y!" tirade is just one example.
www.lgbtqnation.com
November 19, 2025 at 1:49 AM
This is the hardest I have seen any member of Congress work to try and address transphobia in Congress, and her ability to get nearly all Democratic lawmakers to sign onto this letter is something any first would applaud
Reposted by Lowell.PhD
Medicare for All would save $450B a year.
Every dollar spent on food stamps generates $1.50-$1.80 in economic activity.
Each dollar going to low-wage workers adds $1.20 to the economy overall.
It’s not about what this country can or can’t afford.
It’s about priorities.
Every dollar spent on food stamps generates $1.50-$1.80 in economic activity.
Each dollar going to low-wage workers adds $1.20 to the economy overall.
It’s not about what this country can or can’t afford.
It’s about priorities.
November 18, 2025 at 10:45 PM
Medicare for All would save $450B a year.
Every dollar spent on food stamps generates $1.50-$1.80 in economic activity.
Each dollar going to low-wage workers adds $1.20 to the economy overall.
It’s not about what this country can or can’t afford.
It’s about priorities.
Every dollar spent on food stamps generates $1.50-$1.80 in economic activity.
Each dollar going to low-wage workers adds $1.20 to the economy overall.
It’s not about what this country can or can’t afford.
It’s about priorities.
Reposted by Lowell.PhD
NEW: It's done: The House has passed the Epstein resolution.
www.thebulwark.com/p/in-major-r...
www.thebulwark.com/p/in-major-r...
In Major Rebuke to Trump, House Passes Epstein Files Resolution
Trump’s grip on his party is beginning to loosen because a group of renegade Republicans.
www.thebulwark.com
November 18, 2025 at 7:47 PM
NEW: It's done: The House has passed the Epstein resolution.
www.thebulwark.com/p/in-major-r...
www.thebulwark.com/p/in-major-r...
Reposted by Lowell.PhD
This is bullshit! What are the charges?
📌 Border Patrol arrested two women for allegedly honking their car horn to alert others of the agents’ presence
📌 Border Patrol arrested two women for allegedly honking their car horn to alert others of the agents’ presence
November 18, 2025 at 7:43 AM
This is bullshit! What are the charges?
📌 Border Patrol arrested two women for allegedly honking their car horn to alert others of the agents’ presence
📌 Border Patrol arrested two women for allegedly honking their car horn to alert others of the agents’ presence
Reposted by Lowell.PhD
license plate data merged with credit header data, marriage records, vehicle ownership, and voter registrations, in one app for ICE agents. oh and it sends push notifications when someone they're seeking is nearby.
🆒: www.404media.co/this-app-let...
🆒: www.404media.co/this-app-let...
This App Lets ICE Track Vehicles and Owners Across the Country
Material viewed by 404 Media shows data giant Thomson Reuters enriches license plate data with marriage, voter, and ownership records. The tool can predict where a car may be in the future.
www.404media.co
November 17, 2025 at 2:45 PM
license plate data merged with credit header data, marriage records, vehicle ownership, and voter registrations, in one app for ICE agents. oh and it sends push notifications when someone they're seeking is nearby.
🆒: www.404media.co/this-app-let...
🆒: www.404media.co/this-app-let...
Reposted by Lowell.PhD
THIS IS BIG
For non-academics who might not understand why:
1. Sen. Warren is still a Harvard professor so this is a call coming from inside the house
2. As a tenured law prof, Warren knows it is a VERY big deal from a labor standpoint to call on Harvard to ignore tenure. The bar for this is HIGH.
For non-academics who might not understand why:
1. Sen. Warren is still a Harvard professor so this is a call coming from inside the house
2. As a tenured law prof, Warren knows it is a VERY big deal from a labor standpoint to call on Harvard to ignore tenure. The bar for this is HIGH.
Per CNN, Elizabeth Warren is calling on Harvard to cut ties with Larry Summers after Jeffrey Epstein's emails released last week by House Dems featured Summers making sexist comments + asking for Epstein’s romantic advice.
November 18, 2025 at 12:43 AM
THIS IS BIG
For non-academics who might not understand why:
1. Sen. Warren is still a Harvard professor so this is a call coming from inside the house
2. As a tenured law prof, Warren knows it is a VERY big deal from a labor standpoint to call on Harvard to ignore tenure. The bar for this is HIGH.
For non-academics who might not understand why:
1. Sen. Warren is still a Harvard professor so this is a call coming from inside the house
2. As a tenured law prof, Warren knows it is a VERY big deal from a labor standpoint to call on Harvard to ignore tenure. The bar for this is HIGH.
Reposted by Lowell.PhD
“One of the attorneys said part of the operational plan involves undercover ICE and FBI agents attending and documenting church security plans.”
"Agencies within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, including ICE, ERO, and CBP intend to implement a comprehensive plan to target Spanish-speaking churches across the country during the upcoming holiday season between Thanksgiving, Nov. 27, and Christmas, Dec. 25."
Exclusive: Trump DHS Plans Immigration Raids on Churches Over Holidays
The Trump Dept. of Homeland Security is briefing federal agencies on plans for immigration enforcement operations inside churches over holidays.
thisweekinworcester.com
November 18, 2025 at 12:16 PM
“One of the attorneys said part of the operational plan involves undercover ICE and FBI agents attending and documenting church security plans.”
Reposted by Lowell.PhD
Good article. We have reported about "Gender Exploratory Therapy" at EITM for years now - it's a subversive practice akin to "crisis pregnancy centers" that seeks to delay transition until the person gives up on being trans - they will NEVER let the trans teen transition.
Conversion therapy is quietly rebranding — and targeting trans youths
As political attacks on gender-affirming care escalate, parents and experts fear a resurgence of discredited “therapies” that seek to change transgender children’s identities.
www.sfchronicle.com
November 16, 2025 at 10:12 PM
Good article. We have reported about "Gender Exploratory Therapy" at EITM for years now - it's a subversive practice akin to "crisis pregnancy centers" that seeks to delay transition until the person gives up on being trans - they will NEVER let the trans teen transition.
Reposted by Lowell.PhD
This Transgender Awareness Week, we celebrate the resilience, courage, and beauty of the trans community. Your lives matter, your stories matter, and your right to thrive and exist authentically is non-negotiable.
We stand with you today and every day🏳️⚧️
We stand with you today and every day🏳️⚧️
November 17, 2025 at 2:24 PM
This Transgender Awareness Week, we celebrate the resilience, courage, and beauty of the trans community. Your lives matter, your stories matter, and your right to thrive and exist authentically is non-negotiable.
We stand with you today and every day🏳️⚧️
We stand with you today and every day🏳️⚧️
Reposted by Lowell.PhD
Their opposition to the ACA (and even more so to single payer) is why I have never been an @ama-assn.org member. This embracing of a grifter who is spewing nonsense on a non-existent GOP health plan just reminds me why it still is not worth supporting
@kylegriffin1.bsky.social the @ama-assn.org has caved to Trump. They invited known grifter Dr Mehmet Oz to give a speech, but, the AMA board/ John Whyte decided to censor all delegates in the following way.
1. Questions can be asked, but all must be vetted.
1. Questions can be asked, but all must be vetted.
November 17, 2025 at 5:58 AM
Their opposition to the ACA (and even more so to single payer) is why I have never been an @ama-assn.org member. This embracing of a grifter who is spewing nonsense on a non-existent GOP health plan just reminds me why it still is not worth supporting
What the… ? Of course.
“This semester, he is teaching two large undergraduate courses and one graduate class.”
If the students of Harvard want to show the world how “elite” they are, a mass walkout of his lectures would be a start 🤷🏻♂️
If the students of Harvard want to show the world how “elite” they are, a mass walkout of his lectures would be a start 🤷🏻♂️
When former Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers was pursuing a romantic relationship with a woman he described as a mentee, he turned to a longtime associate for guidance: Jeffrey E. Epstein.
Dhruv T. Patel and Cam N. Srivastava report.
Dhruv T. Patel and Cam N. Srivastava report.
November 17, 2025 at 1:25 PM
What the… ? Of course.
Reposted by Lowell.PhD
Ottawa hosted 36 global health leaders in September but the US declined to join.
In just 10 months, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dismantled over $2 billion in US pandemic prep, cutting drug and vaccine R&D meant to prevent future crises.
www.science.org/content/arti...
In just 10 months, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dismantled over $2 billion in US pandemic prep, cutting drug and vaccine R&D meant to prevent future crises.
www.science.org/content/arti...
The Trump administration is dismantling efforts to fight the next pandemic
A retreat from investments in drugs and vaccines leaves U.S. less prepared for the next viral scourge, experts warn
www.science.org
November 16, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Ottawa hosted 36 global health leaders in September but the US declined to join.
In just 10 months, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dismantled over $2 billion in US pandemic prep, cutting drug and vaccine R&D meant to prevent future crises.
www.science.org/content/arti...
In just 10 months, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dismantled over $2 billion in US pandemic prep, cutting drug and vaccine R&D meant to prevent future crises.
www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Lowell.PhD
NIH researchers tracked 3,659 US adults after COVID and found 5% had persistent Long COVID symptoms for 15 months while 12% had ongoing symptoms that fluctuated.
Only 19% of those affected showed signs of recovery within a year.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Only 19% of those affected showed signs of recovery within a year.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Long COVID trajectories in the prospectively followed RECOVER-Adult US cohort - Nature Communications
Long COVID has heterogeneous presentation and clinical trajectories are not well defined. Here, the authors define trajectories using data from a prospective cohort study in the United States involvin...
www.nature.com
November 17, 2025 at 12:53 PM
NIH researchers tracked 3,659 US adults after COVID and found 5% had persistent Long COVID symptoms for 15 months while 12% had ongoing symptoms that fluctuated.
Only 19% of those affected showed signs of recovery within a year.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Only 19% of those affected showed signs of recovery within a year.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Lowell.PhD
Mask up, folks
CDC FluView is back, and our fears look like reality.
50.8% of circulating H3N2 viruses belong to the 2a.3a.1-K subclade, which have 2 mutations in a very important antigenic site. Our own 2025-2026 vaccine immunogenicity data will be posted in the next couple of weeks.
www.cdc.gov/fluview/surv...
50.8% of circulating H3N2 viruses belong to the 2a.3a.1-K subclade, which have 2 mutations in a very important antigenic site. Our own 2025-2026 vaccine immunogenicity data will be posted in the next couple of weeks.
www.cdc.gov/fluview/surv...
Weekly US Influenza Surveillance Report: Key Updates for Week 45, ending November 8, 2025
Seasonal influenza activity is low.
www.cdc.gov
November 14, 2025 at 9:23 PM
Mask up, folks
Reposted by Lowell.PhD
NEW: ProPublica examined months of Fox News’ coverage and reviewed over 700 videos posted on social media.
The network used five-year-old footage, mislabeled other dates and implied footage from elsewhere was in Portland.
The network used five-year-old footage, mislabeled other dates and implied footage from elsewhere was in Portland.
“Riots Raging”: The Misleading Story Fox News Told About Portland Before Trump Sent Troops
After reviewing coverage from the network and hours of social media videos that preceded Trump’s decision, ProPublica found that Fox’s portrayal of “Portland rioters” routinely instigating violence was misleading.
www.propublica.org
November 12, 2025 at 2:00 PM
NEW: ProPublica examined months of Fox News’ coverage and reviewed over 700 videos posted on social media.
The network used five-year-old footage, mislabeled other dates and implied footage from elsewhere was in Portland.
The network used five-year-old footage, mislabeled other dates and implied footage from elsewhere was in Portland.
Reposted by Lowell.PhD
Records obtained by ProPublica indicate that food banks across the country were expecting more than 27 million pounds of chicken, 2 million gallons of milk, 10 million pounds of dried fruit and 60 million eggs that never arrived.
(Published October)
(Published October)
Trump Canceled 94 Million Pounds of Food Aid. Here’s What Never Arrived.
ProPublica obtained records from the Department of Agriculture that detail the millions of pounds of food, down to the number of eggs, that never reached food banks because of the administration’s cut...
projects.propublica.org
November 12, 2025 at 4:00 AM
Records obtained by ProPublica indicate that food banks across the country were expecting more than 27 million pounds of chicken, 2 million gallons of milk, 10 million pounds of dried fruit and 60 million eggs that never arrived.
(Published October)
(Published October)
Reposted by Lowell.PhD
Migrants at largest US detention camp face foul water, rotten food, congresswoman says reut.rs/4qRPCLg
Migrants at largest US detention camp face foul water, rotten food, congresswoman says
Detainees at the largest U.S. migrant detention camp endure foul-tasting drinking water, rotten food and inadequate healthcare, according to a U.S. congresswoman who called the tent facility in El Paso, Texas, "inhumane."
reut.rs
November 11, 2025 at 10:25 PM
Migrants at largest US detention camp face foul water, rotten food, congresswoman says reut.rs/4qRPCLg
“The THB Council called out McConnell on X, writing, "@SenMcConnell with nothing to lose in his final lap, quietly slips a hemp ban back into the funding bill. Legacy move: torch a $28B industry, ax 300K+ jobs, fuel black markets, and tell veterans, farmers, & responsible adults to pound sand.”
MSN
www.msn.com
November 12, 2025 at 2:32 AM
“The THB Council called out McConnell on X, writing, "@SenMcConnell with nothing to lose in his final lap, quietly slips a hemp ban back into the funding bill. Legacy move: torch a $28B industry, ax 300K+ jobs, fuel black markets, and tell veterans, farmers, & responsible adults to pound sand.”
Reposted by Lowell.PhD
Kyle Kingsbury is not a journalist. He is not an op-ed writer.
He is a computer safety researcher.
And he has written one of the most compelling, comprehensive accounts of the ongoing hell in Chicago that you could possibly imagine.
In under 1600 words.
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
He is a computer safety researcher.
And he has written one of the most compelling, comprehensive accounts of the ongoing hell in Chicago that you could possibly imagine.
In under 1600 words.
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
November 9, 2025 at 8:49 PM
Kyle Kingsbury is not a journalist. He is not an op-ed writer.
He is a computer safety researcher.
And he has written one of the most compelling, comprehensive accounts of the ongoing hell in Chicago that you could possibly imagine.
In under 1600 words.
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
He is a computer safety researcher.
And he has written one of the most compelling, comprehensive accounts of the ongoing hell in Chicago that you could possibly imagine.
In under 1600 words.
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
Reposted by Lowell.PhD
Communicating why a 50 year mortgage costs more, overall, than a 30 year mortgage should not be a hard task.
The problem is the average American is both functionally illiterate and innumerate, as a deliberate result of decades of the policies made by the very people pushing for 50 year mortgages.
The problem is the average American is both functionally illiterate and innumerate, as a deliberate result of decades of the policies made by the very people pushing for 50 year mortgages.
November 11, 2025 at 7:35 AM
Communicating why a 50 year mortgage costs more, overall, than a 30 year mortgage should not be a hard task.
The problem is the average American is both functionally illiterate and innumerate, as a deliberate result of decades of the policies made by the very people pushing for 50 year mortgages.
The problem is the average American is both functionally illiterate and innumerate, as a deliberate result of decades of the policies made by the very people pushing for 50 year mortgages.
Reposted by Lowell.PhD
More than 15 Senate Democrats join GOP to advance nationwide ban on hemp products, including CBD gummies,
oh the paul amendment is going down 78-22
November 11, 2025 at 1:16 AM
More than 15 Senate Democrats join GOP to advance nationwide ban on hemp products, including CBD gummies,