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Jonathan Lambert

@jonlambert.bsky.social

4.7K followers 790 following 180 posts

Science journalist at NPR covering global health. Used to work at Grid and Science News. [email protected]. On signal @jonlambert.12 https://jonathanmlambert.com/

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Jonathan Lambert @jonlambert.bsky.social · Apr 21

Some professional news: I'm permanently joining NPR's Science Desk! (My last gig was temporary).

I'll be covering global health, with a special focus on what comes next after the US withdrawal from foreign aid, as well as environmental determinants of health.

If you have ideas or tips, reach out!

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Liz Neeley @lizneeley.bsky.social · 3d

Each Friday, I summarize what is happening to American science & higher ed. 🧪
This was Week 38:
- MIT declines loyalty oath/compact & I review latest at other 8 universities
- Newest RIFs gutting CDC
- “Payroll pirates” targeting university HR

& so much more buttondown.com/liminalcreat...

Week 38

Oct 4-10, 2025 - failure state

buttondown.com

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Jonathan Lambert @jonlambert.bsky.social · 3d

Are you a fed who works in global health who’s been affected by this latest round of RIFs?

Reach out via signal @jonlambert.12, NPR can protect your anonymity.

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Dave Levitan @davelevitan.bsky.social · 4d

EXTREMELY COOL BAT STUFF: A study out in Science today found that the greater noctule bat, Europe's largest, hunts and catches *migrating birds* while in flight. In at least one case, a bat climbed to more than 1200 feet, then chased a robin downward FAST until it caught it near the ground.

Greater noctule bats prey on and consume passerines in flight

Despite billions of passerines seasonally migrating during the night at high altitudes, only three bat species have been found to consistently tap into this rich prey resource. However, it remains unk...

www.science.org

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Carl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com · 5d

Today my @nytimes.com colleagues and I are launching a new series called Lost Science. We interview US scientists who can no longer discover something new about our world, thanks to this year‘s cuts. Here is my first interview with a scientist who studied bees and fires. Gift link: nyti.ms/3IWXbiE

nyti.ms

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Jonathan Lambert @jonlambert.bsky.social · 7d

In many parts of rural Africa, babies bop around on mom's back during the daytime, where they're exposed to malaria. Treating those baby wraps with permethrin cuts that risk drastically.

"It was a level of effect that was beyond even our wildest expectations."

www.npr.org/sections/goa...

Babies take a lesson from soldiers in the war against malaria

Inspired by a military strategy to ward off disease-carrying mosquitoes, researchers see if the technique will help cut malaria infections in little ones.

www.npr.org

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Jonathan Lambert @jonlambert.bsky.social · 12d

www.quantamagazine.org/all-life-on-...

All Life on Earth Today Descended From a Single Cell. Meet LUCA. | Quanta Magazine

The clearest picture yet of our “last universal common ancestor” suggests it was a relatively complex organism living 4.2 billion years ago, a time long considered too harsh for life to flourish.

www.quantamagazine.org

Jonathan Lambert @jonlambert.bsky.social · 12d

My first time appearing in the "Notables" section of a book I eagerly await each year!

For a @quantamagazine.bsky.social story I wrote last fall about LUCA.
jaimealyse.beehiiv.com/p/basnw25

Coming soon! The Best American Science & Nature Writing 2025

Discover the 2025 Best American Science & Nature Writing anthology, curated by Susan Orlean and featuring exceptional science writing that explores the wonders of our natural world.

jaimealyse.beehiiv.com

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NPR @npr.org · 12d

JUST IN: Jane Goodall, primatologist who transformed our understanding of the lives of apes, has died, according to an announcement from the Jane Goodall Institute.

Jane Goodall, legendary primatologist, has died at age 91

Jane Goodall, primatologist who transformed our understanding of the lives of apes, has died, according to an announcement from the Jane Goodall Institute.

n.pr

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NPR @npr.org · 13d

Today marks the first day in public media’s history without federal funding. And we’re not going anywhere.

Listeners like you keep our mission alive. Protect one of the last places where America comes together to hear itself.

Stand with us today. Donate at this link: n.pr/46wamAj

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Jonathan Lambert @jonlambert.bsky.social · 13d

Had a blast going on Short Wave to talk scavengers and why they're surprisingly important for human health.
www.npr.org/2025/10/01/n...

From vultures to hyenas: How scavengers protect human health : Short Wave

Worldwide, populations of scavenging animals that feed on rotting carcasses are declining. Scientists are finding that this can seriously hurt human health. NPR science reporter Jonathan Lambert has b...

www.npr.org

Jonathan Lambert @jonlambert.bsky.social · 15d

Researchers have known about a form of diabetes linked to malnutrition for 70 years, but it's been largely neglected. That's a problem for patients, since standard treatment can be lethal.

Now, scientists are hoping a new name - Type 5 diabetes - will spur more research.
www.npr.org/sections/goa...

Neglected form of diabetes with unusual symptoms finally gets its own name

An unusual type of diabetes linked to malnutrition now has a name. Scientists are calling for wider recognition of the newly classified Type 5 diabetes to spur better treatments.

www.npr.org

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BK. Titanji @boghuma.bsky.social · 19d

This is the official communication from the FDA to physicians on acetaminophen use in pregnancy.
- They acknowledge the lack of a causal link with autism
- Essentially tell physicians to keep doing what we've been doing anyway
It's very different from the press conference.
Pass it on.

Official communication from FDA to physicians on acetaminophen use in pregnancy acknowledges there is no causal link between its use in pregnancy and autism. Also states clearly that this is the safest over the counter treatment for fever and pain in pregnancy. It is very different from what was communicated at the press conference.

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Jonathan Lambert @jonlambert.bsky.social · 20d

We did!
www.npr.org/2025/09/23/g...

World health officials reject Trump's claims that Tylenol is linked to autism

The President says pregnant women should stay away from Tylenol due to possible autism link. World health authorities strongly disagree, say the drug is safe in pregnancy.

www.npr.org

Jonathan Lambert @jonlambert.bsky.social · 20d

"Don't pay any attention whatsoever to what Donald Trump says about medicine ... I've just got to be really clear about this: there is no evidence to link the use of paracetamol by pregnant women to autism in their children. None." -- UK Health Secretary

www.npr.org/2025/09/23/g...

World health officials reject Trump's claims that Tylenol is linked to autism

The President says pregnant women should stay away from Tylenol due to possible autism link. World health authorities strongly disagree, say the drug is safe in pregnancy.

www.npr.org

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HELLody SchreiBOO @melodyschreiber.com · 26d

The meeting of CDC vaccine advisers is getting underway soon. Meet the new members, some of whom have said we need to stop giving Covid vaccines and reexamine the childhood immunization schedule.

“As Christians, we should not fear death,” one new adviser said.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Vaccine ‘skeptics’ among new advisers joining CDC committee

Some have little to no documented experience with vaccines while others have undermined their safety

www.theguardian.com

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Nsikan Akpan @monscience.bsky.social · 29d

The CDC has released the agenda for this week’s vaccine advisory meeting. The first item of business: MMR vaccines. 👀👀👀

www.cdc.gov/acip/meeting...

Draft agenda for the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) meeting, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, scheduled for Thursday, September 18, 2025. The meeting begins at 10:00 AM with welcome and roll call by Dr. Martin Kulldorff (ACIP Chair) and Dr. Mina Zadeh (CDC). At 10:30 AM, Dr. Kulldorff provides work group updates. At 11:00 AM, the committee discusses measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (MMRV) vaccines, with presentations by Dr. Arjun Srinivasan and Dr. John Su, followed by proposed recommendations. Lunch is at 1:00 PM. At 1:30 PM, Hepatitis B vaccine discussions begin, including presentations by Dr. Adam Langer and Dr. John Su. After a 4:00 PM break, agency updates from CDC, CMS, FDA, HRSA, IHS, and NIH start at 4:15 PM, followed by public comment at 4:30 PM. At 5:00 PM, votes are held on MMRV and Hepatitis B vaccines and Vaccines for Children (VFC) program, with Dr. Jeanne Santoli joining Dr. Kulldorff. The meeting adjourns at 5:30 PM.

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Jonathan Lambert @jonlambert.bsky.social · Sep 12

HHS now referring to mpox as "monkeypox" again.

"It just falls in line with the playbook of this administration to go back to controversial terms ... This is a simple provocation."
www.npr.org/sections/goa...

In 2022, the name 'monkeypox' was rejected as inapt. Now the U.S. is reviving it

The World Health Organization nixed the name "monkeypox." The virus is spread by rodents and small mammals. And there's a stigma factor. Mpox took its place. Why has the U.S. returned to "monkeypox"?

www.npr.org

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NPR @npr.org · Sep 12

They're called "serodiscordant" couples. One is HIV positive, the other negative. Aid from the U.S. enabled them to obtain medicines and condoms for protection — until this year.

Love, drugs and condoms: Couples with different HIV status face a new reality

They're called "serodiscordant" couples. One is HIV positive, the other negative. Aid from the U.S. enabled them to obtain medicines and condoms for protection — until this year.

n.pr

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Jonathan Lambert @jonlambert.bsky.social · Sep 11

New research estimates that U.S. cuts to TB programs could cost as many as 2.2 million additional lives by the end of the decade. Even short-term disruptions could cost tens of thousands.
www.npr.org/sections/goa...

TB is the #1 killer among infectious diseases. A new study says its toll could mount

New research estimates that as many as 2.2 million more people could die of tuberculosis if U.S. cuts to foreign aid become permanent.

www.npr.org

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Dan Garisto @dangaristo.bsky.social · Sep 10

Often the news happens so quickly that there's little time for it, so we took a step back to talk about the stories of the researchers who have been fighting back against the Trump administration's assault on science.

w/ @maxkozlov.bsky.social and @heidiledford.bsky.social

Scientists take on Trump: the researchers fighting back

Through lawsuits, grant tracking, whistle-blowing and more, resistance to the US war on science is growing.

www.nature.com

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BK. Titanji @boghuma.bsky.social · Sep 7

This why accurate journalism and reporting matters so much . After @npr.org reported on these individuals who faced death without access to ART after the US pulled foreign funding, the Zambian government stepped up, got in contact and providing life saving meds. A win!
www.npr.org/sections/goa...

In April NPR profiled people who couldn't get their HIV drugs. How are they faring now?

In Zambia, we met people who are HIV positive, couldn't get drugs to suppress the virus after U.S. aid cuts and were seeing symptoms. We checked in on them — and the man who's been their champion.

www.npr.org

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Science News Media Guild @sn-media-guild.bsky.social · Sep 5

It's true! 500 days of bargaining with @society4science.bsky.social and still no contract! Big thanks to @wbng.org for working hard to help us secure the fair deal our workers deserve! If you'd like to help, be sure to sign our petition below!

#faircontractNOW #Solidarity #workerrights

Washington-Baltimore News Guild @wbng.org · Sep 5

🚨RELEASE: After 500 days at the table with no fair contract, Science News Media Guild members (@sn-media-guild.bsky.social) have authorized a strike.

Bosses are stalling. Workers are ready to fight. ✊

wbng.org/2025/09/05/s...

Science News Media Guild authorizes strike as union marks 500 days of bargaining with no contract - Washington-Baltimore News Guild

Members of Science News Media Guild recently voted by 92% to authorize a strike against the Society for Science if necessary.

wbng.org

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Jonathan Lambert @jonlambert.bsky.social · Sep 5

WHO head says mpox no longer represents a public health emergency of international concern, citing sustained declines in the hardest hit countries. Still a continental emergency in Africa.

Reposted by Jonathan Lambert

Dylan Scott @dylanlscott.bsky.social · Sep 4

Exclusive: RFK Jr. and the White House buried a major study on alcohol and cancer. Here’s what it shows.

www.vox.com/health/46008...

Exclusive: RFK Jr. and the White House buried a major study on alcohol and cancer. Here’s what it shows.

Kennedy wants to “Make America Healthy Again” — but doesn’t want you to see a report that could do just that.

www.vox.com

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