Maryn McKenna
@marynmck.bsky.social
Journalist. Contributing Ed at Scientific American. Senior Fellow at Emory Univ's Center for the Study of Human Health. Books: BIG CHICKEN, SUPERBUG, BEATING BACK THE DEVIL. All my stories at https://authory.com/marynmckenna. No more diets only riots.
Reposted by Maryn McKenna
I don’t think people outside of healthcare realize how much AAP is standing out as a moral backbone of medicine right now, especially in pediatrics. There is so much fear at institutions. Seeing an org directly and repeatedly targeted refuse to budge an inch is extraordinary.
AAP: ‘Stop wasting government resources to amplify false claims’ about vaccines, autism
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated its website to include false claims linking vaccines and autism, prompting a swift rebuke from the AAP and other medical experts.
publications.aap.org
November 27, 2025 at 6:17 AM
I don’t think people outside of healthcare realize how much AAP is standing out as a moral backbone of medicine right now, especially in pediatrics. There is so much fear at institutions. Seeing an org directly and repeatedly targeted refuse to budge an inch is extraordinary.
Reposted by Maryn McKenna
WELL NOW, would you look at that? A massive, 24-YEAR-LONG study of MORE THAN 1.2 MILLION people in Denmark found NO LINK between aluminum in childhood vaccines and autism, asthma, OR chronic disorders.
Aluminum is an ADJUVANT.
It ENHANCES your immune response to a vaccine.
That’s it.
Aluminum is an ADJUVANT.
It ENHANCES your immune response to a vaccine.
That’s it.
December 5, 2025 at 5:00 PM
WELL NOW, would you look at that? A massive, 24-YEAR-LONG study of MORE THAN 1.2 MILLION people in Denmark found NO LINK between aluminum in childhood vaccines and autism, asthma, OR chronic disorders.
Aluminum is an ADJUVANT.
It ENHANCES your immune response to a vaccine.
That’s it.
Aluminum is an ADJUVANT.
It ENHANCES your immune response to a vaccine.
That’s it.
Reposted by Maryn McKenna
A study on 1.7 million people in Hong Kong shows superior hybrid immunity to Covid in people who got vaccinated before infection vs. people who got infected first. "Our findings are a direct rebuttal to arguments for natural immunity," the authors write. doi.org/10.1016/j.va...
Redirecting
doi.org
December 6, 2025 at 5:02 PM
A study on 1.7 million people in Hong Kong shows superior hybrid immunity to Covid in people who got vaccinated before infection vs. people who got infected first. "Our findings are a direct rebuttal to arguments for natural immunity," the authors write. doi.org/10.1016/j.va...
Reposted by Maryn McKenna
Thanks to the @startribune.com for publishing this. So damn infuriating
www.startribune.com/readers-writ...
www.startribune.com/readers-writ...
December 6, 2025 at 2:52 AM
Thanks to the @startribune.com for publishing this. So damn infuriating
www.startribune.com/readers-writ...
www.startribune.com/readers-writ...
Reposted by Maryn McKenna
It was bad at FDA 5 months ago, it has now become a total disaster. 90% of senior staff gone.
December 6, 2025 at 2:44 AM
It was bad at FDA 5 months ago, it has now become a total disaster. 90% of senior staff gone.
Really smart sleuthing that unfortunately for us all ends in a really grim place. Check everything. Do not accept publication. Do not accept citations. (And unfortunately, do accept that you will spend hours more of your life verifying just how poisoned the info sphere is.)
Let me tell you a story. Perhaps you can guess where this is going... though it does have a bit of a twist.
I was poking around Google Scholar for publications about the relationship between chatbots and wellness. Oh how useful: a systematic literature review! Let's dig into the findings. 🧵
I was poking around Google Scholar for publications about the relationship between chatbots and wellness. Oh how useful: a systematic literature review! Let's dig into the findings. 🧵
December 6, 2025 at 2:29 AM
Really smart sleuthing that unfortunately for us all ends in a really grim place. Check everything. Do not accept publication. Do not accept citations. (And unfortunately, do accept that you will spend hours more of your life verifying just how poisoned the info sphere is.)
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December 3, 2025 at 1:56 AM
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In the rest of the world, it is World AIDS Day.
I was a high school student when it started, though we did not know that at the time. I was into my college years before the pandemic became widely noticeable. I was a young artist when my friends started to leave us.
We will always remember.
I was a high school student when it started, though we did not know that at the time. I was into my college years before the pandemic became widely noticeable. I was a young artist when my friends started to leave us.
We will always remember.
December 2, 2025 at 4:57 AM
In the rest of the world, it is World AIDS Day.
I was a high school student when it started, though we did not know that at the time. I was into my college years before the pandemic became widely noticeable. I was a young artist when my friends started to leave us.
We will always remember.
I was a high school student when it started, though we did not know that at the time. I was into my college years before the pandemic became widely noticeable. I was a young artist when my friends started to leave us.
We will always remember.
You really have to read this thread. The genius of Tom Stoppard, the fragility of memory, the magic of theatre — and the glorious stubbornness of a researcher who would not stop.
Eleven years ago, I wrote to Tom Stoppard to ask about this coup de théâtre from 1949. It took me down an unexpected rabbit hole - in memory of Stoppard, here's what I found.
November 30, 2025 at 2:42 PM
You really have to read this thread. The genius of Tom Stoppard, the fragility of memory, the magic of theatre — and the glorious stubbornness of a researcher who would not stop.
As a US journalist, it is notable that the most accurate headline in this collection is by the non-US Guardian. Which is owned by a trust, not a billionaire.
(The NYT hed is not bad, but as the thread notes, it was a lot worse and was changed post-pub.)
Support non-billionaire news.
(The NYT hed is not bad, but as the thread notes, it was a lot worse and was changed post-pub.)
Support non-billionaire news.
News media has to do better with headlines that present false and unverified public health claims.
November 30, 2025 at 2:21 PM
As a US journalist, it is notable that the most accurate headline in this collection is by the non-US Guardian. Which is owned by a trust, not a billionaire.
(The NYT hed is not bad, but as the thread notes, it was a lot worse and was changed post-pub.)
Support non-billionaire news.
(The NYT hed is not bad, but as the thread notes, it was a lot worse and was changed post-pub.)
Support non-billionaire news.
A: Commitment to the bit.
B: Stupid neglect of appropriate prop-handling.
(As a former dramaturg I'm going with B)
Bet it got a ton of clicks tho
B: Stupid neglect of appropriate prop-handling.
(As a former dramaturg I'm going with B)
Bet it got a ton of clicks tho
Experience: I was stabbed in the back with a real knife while performing Julius Caesar
Experience: I was stabbed in the back with a real knife while performing Julius Caesar
Our student theatre group had the bright idea of using actual knives on stage for authenticity. The blade missed my aorta by about a centimetre
www.theguardian.com
November 30, 2025 at 5:52 AM
A: Commitment to the bit.
B: Stupid neglect of appropriate prop-handling.
(As a former dramaturg I'm going with B)
Bet it got a ton of clicks tho
B: Stupid neglect of appropriate prop-handling.
(As a former dramaturg I'm going with B)
Bet it got a ton of clicks tho
NYC ilu
They did it again! NYC subway Thanksgiving 2025, via @scootercaster.com!
November 27, 2025 at 6:00 PM
NYC ilu
Turkey raising is a $6.5 billion industry in the US and has been hit devastatingly hard by bird flu. Those farmers are concentrated in the Midwest and tend to vote R.
Constituent service!
Constituent service!
JD Vance: "How many of you really like turkey?"
Many soldiers raise their hands.
Vance: "You're all full of shit."
Many soldiers raise their hands.
Vance: "You're all full of shit."
November 27, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Turkey raising is a $6.5 billion industry in the US and has been hit devastatingly hard by bird flu. Those farmers are concentrated in the Midwest and tend to vote R.
Constituent service!
Constituent service!
Reposted by Maryn McKenna
Happy Thanksgiving, to those who celebrate
Blessing Bluesky with a cherished #Thanksgihing tradition: Revisiting the time millions of kids had to witness Barney the Dinosaur collapse to the ground and get stabbed to death by cops during the 1997 Macys Parade. 💫
November 27, 2025 at 1:08 PM
Happy Thanksgiving, to those who celebrate
Reposted by Maryn McKenna
I'm proud to say my 1st FREE newsletter, Palimpsest of Flesh, is launched into the world! The Corpus (essay) is about how I've linked AI face, female bodily autonomy, and trad wives to the same (inhumane) root issue. ALSO: book, pod, & watch recs! palimpsest-of-flesh.ghost.io/the-thought-...
The Thought Lab, AI Face, & What to See/Hear/Read
The clothing or the coifs could be from any era, but the physiques and faces beneath the maxi dresses and the makeup could only be from the 2020s. This is a deeper shift than just a hemline or a platf...
palimpsest-of-flesh.ghost.io
November 27, 2025 at 4:09 AM
I'm proud to say my 1st FREE newsletter, Palimpsest of Flesh, is launched into the world! The Corpus (essay) is about how I've linked AI face, female bodily autonomy, and trad wives to the same (inhumane) root issue. ALSO: book, pod, & watch recs! palimpsest-of-flesh.ghost.io/the-thought-...
If you know anything about beer or fermentation or the industrial history of yeast, this is stunning news.
World-famous brewing institution leaving U.S. for Canada #USA to #Canada
Since 1872, the famed Siebel Institute of Technology has taught generations of beer brewers the fine art and science of the craft in Chicago. But in a statement on
/1 thread
www.ctvnews.ca/business/art...
Since 1872, the famed Siebel Institute of Technology has taught generations of beer brewers the fine art and science of the craft in Chicago. But in a statement on
/1 thread
www.ctvnews.ca/business/art...
World-famous brewing institution leaving U.S. for Canada
A renowned American beer brewing school is heading north and getting ready to settle in at a new address in Montreal.
www.ctvnews.ca
November 27, 2025 at 4:48 AM
If you know anything about beer or fermentation or the industrial history of yeast, this is stunning news.
Reposted by Maryn McKenna
I have friends in the animal rights world who — months back — thought there would be some sort of silver lining to the RFK regime, and I want to emphasize that cancelling HIV research and euthanizing a ton of chimps is not a silver lining for anyone involved.
Exclusive: CDC to end all monkey research | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti... 🧪
Exclusive: CDC to end all monkey research
Studies related to HIV and other infectious diseases will be phased out, sources say; fate of the agency's animals remains unclear
www.science.org
November 24, 2025 at 8:32 PM
I have friends in the animal rights world who — months back — thought there would be some sort of silver lining to the RFK regime, and I want to emphasize that cancelling HIV research and euthanizing a ton of chimps is not a silver lining for anyone involved.
I am NOT reading the next installment.
Its lede was enough.
My god.
Its lede was enough.
My god.
November 22, 2025 at 8:02 PM
I am NOT reading the next installment.
Its lede was enough.
My god.
Its lede was enough.
My god.
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November 22, 2025 at 2:54 AM
Bike for journalism! And for the only entirely-AAPI science newsroom in the US!
Reposted by Maryn McKenna
They did this in Louisiana and currently have their worst pertussis outbreak in 35 years. Ridiculous.
NEW: Officials at the Indian Health Service have deemed terms like “immunizations” and “vaccines” risky “buzzwords” that require approval to be used in social media posts, pamphlets and presentations for patients.
The Indian Health Service Is Flagging Vaccine-Related Speech. Doctors Say They’re Being Censored.
Officials have deemed terms like “immunizations” and “vaccines” risky “buzzwords” that require approval to be used in social media posts, pamphlets and presentations.
www.propublica.org
November 21, 2025 at 2:58 PM
They did this in Louisiana and currently have their worst pertussis outbreak in 35 years. Ridiculous.
Reposted by Maryn McKenna
It’s fun to think about the surgeon who will botch your surgery 20 years from now and what he’s doing at this moment. He just ran all his homework through ChatGPT. He just read that article about vaccines and autism at the CDC website. He just watched an Instagram video about the moon landing hoax.
November 21, 2025 at 4:27 AM
It’s fun to think about the surgeon who will botch your surgery 20 years from now and what he’s doing at this moment. He just ran all his homework through ChatGPT. He just read that article about vaccines and autism at the CDC website. He just watched an Instagram video about the moon landing hoax.
Reposted by Maryn McKenna
The metaphor, when reached for comment, admitted to being “a wee bit heavy-handed.”
Fire forces evacuation from climate summit as talks reach critical stage
More than 50,000 people from nearly 200 nations are attending the COP30 gathering in Brazil.
www.politico.com
November 20, 2025 at 6:58 PM
The metaphor, when reached for comment, admitted to being “a wee bit heavy-handed.”
I don't know where Chevy Chase is these days, but in his honor, all together now:
Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead.
(For 50 years, today.)
Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead.
(For 50 years, today.)
November 20, 2025 at 5:44 PM
I don't know where Chevy Chase is these days, but in his honor, all together now:
Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead.
(For 50 years, today.)
Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead.
(For 50 years, today.)
Reposted by Maryn McKenna
CDC has overhauled its website to assert that “the claim ‘vaccines do not cause autism’ is not an evidence-based claim”
November 20, 2025 at 2:26 AM
CDC has overhauled its website to assert that “the claim ‘vaccines do not cause autism’ is not an evidence-based claim”
"not an evidence-based claim"
I just.. I...
yeah.
I just.. I...
yeah.
CDC has overhauled its website to assert that “the claim ‘vaccines do not cause autism’ is not an evidence-based claim”
November 20, 2025 at 3:19 AM
"not an evidence-based claim"
I just.. I...
yeah.
I just.. I...
yeah.