Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Nick Blackmer

Katie Drummond @katie-drummond.bsky.social · 4h

This is a jaw-dropping, terrifying number. The CDC's workforce has decreased by 3,000 people since January.

Another round of terminations, combined with previous layoffs and departures, has reduced the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention workforce by about 3,000 people since January.

www.wired.com

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Nick Blackmer @nblack42.bsky.social · 3d

with alt text:

Work, Work, Work
On about this date in 1801, Britain's first census was begun. In a subsequent survey conducted in 1881, residents were asked to furnish their "rank, profession, or occupation." Some of the more puzzling responses, as preserved by the London Genealogical Society, included:

• Colourist of artificial fish
• Knight of the Thimble
• Disinfector of railways
• Examiner of underclothing
• Invisible net maker
• Electric bath attendant
• Proprietor of midgets
• Fifty-two years an imbecile
• Knocker-up of workpeople
• Maker of sand views
• Gymnast to house painter
• Turnip shepherd
• Emasculator
• Sampler of drugs
• Fatuous pauper
• Drowner
• Count as female
• Fish-bender
• Goldfish-catcher
• Cow-banger
• Running about
• Grape-dryer
• Beef twister
• Random waller

© 2015 Jeff Kacirk

Nick Blackmer @nblack42.bsky.social · 3d

with alt text:

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Nick Blackmer @nblack42.bsky.social · 3d

Trying to decide which ones to add to my LinkedIn profile.

waltydunlop @waltydunlop.bsky.social · 3d

Job occupations, from an 1881 census. Every one of these sounds like something a sorely provoked Captain Haddock would should at someone in times of heavy stress.

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Reposted by Nick Blackmer

Paul Offit @pauloffit.bsky.social · 15d

open.substack.com/pub/pauloffi...
The risks of discouraging the birth dose for hepatitis B vaccine.

Jumping Without a Net

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s new CDC advisory board continues to try and fix things that aren’t broken. Next up: the hepatitis B vaccine birth dose.

open.substack.com

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Reposted by Nick Blackmer

Dr. Jonathan N. Stea @jonathanstea.bsky.social · 9d

Pseudoscience is popular in part because it seeks to confirm our beliefs.

Science can be less popular in part because it seeks to interrogate our beliefs.

Good science, like good art and literature, can upset the established ways in which we see the world.

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Nick Blackmer @nblack42.bsky.social · 15d

coulda been a bumper sticker, Jerry!

a bumper sticker!

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Reposted by Nick Blackmer

Prof Gavin Yamey @gavinyamey.bsky.social · 15d

💉New study of HPV vaccine shows “robust population-level effectiveness & herd protection in adolescent girls & young women”

From 2006-2023:
➡️ Proportion of vaxxed women positive for high-risk HPV-16 & -18 types fell 98.4%, proportion of unvaxxed women fell 71.6%
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jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Population-Level Effectiveness and Herd Protection 17 Years After HPV Vaccine

This cross-sectional study investigates population-level effectiveness and herd protection in the first 17 years after human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination among adolescent girls and young women at ...

jamanetwork.com

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Reposted by Nick Blackmer

WHO @who.int · 15d

Know the common symptoms of a heart attack and stroke.
⚠️ If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, seek medical care immediately.

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Reposted by Nick Blackmer

Tom Gauld @tomgauld.bsky.social · 15d

My latest cartoon for @newscientist.com

p.s. my new book of science cartoons 'Physics for Cats' is out now. Visit www.tomgauld.com for details

A group of scientists huddle excitedly around a monitor. One says:
"The program has detected a signal sent from another galaxy, but we need to upgrade to a paid version before we can reply."

The screen reads "Choose a plan To unlock replies: 1. Student 2. Basic 3. Pro 4. Expert "

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Reposted by Nick Blackmer

NPR @npr.org · 15d

People are using ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence apps to help them with emotional issues, but experts say they are not a substitute for therapy or companionship.

With therapy hard to get, people lean on AI for mental health. What are the risks?

People are using ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence apps to help them with emotional issues, but experts say they are not a substitute for therapy or companionship.

n.pr

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Nick Blackmer @nblack42.bsky.social · 15d

Just contemplating the idea of cycling from Cambridge to Northampton is exhausting. Must go lie down.

Nick Blackmer @nblack42.bsky.social · 15d

I hope this word shows up in the new edition of M-W’s Collegiate Dictionary!

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Nick Blackmer @nblack42.bsky.social · 15d

Yes, some of us are passionate about reference books (and their non-print cousins).

Benjamin Dreyer @bcdreyer.social · 19d

A few gathered thoughts on words and books and all that.

You could look it up!

[big book news]

open.substack.com

Reposted by Nick Blackmer

Ozymandias Q. Jones XXXIII⅓® @void0reason.bsky.social · 21d

“Parents should leave books lying around marked ‘forbidden’ if they want their children to read.”
—Doris Lessing

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Reposted by Nick Blackmer

Christina, mother of spiders @aikiwomannc.bsky.social · 21d

That time someone said, "Oh you're one of those science is right idiots" to me and I just knew in their head they were actually using "your" and not "you're".

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Reposted by Nick Blackmer

Full Fact @fullfact.org · 20d

Why bother getting a chickenpox vaccine if a ‘chickenpox party’ could do the trick?

Our new explainer looks at the benefits of the vaccine to children and pregnant women, as well as some false claims about its risks.

Chickenpox vaccine claims: fact checked – Full Fact

After it was announced that young children will be offered the vaccine by the NHS in 2026, we’ve seen false and misleading claims circulating on social media.

fullfact.org

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Nick Blackmer @nblack42.bsky.social · 26d

I’m out here putting the “gesund” in “Gesundheit.”

Reposted by Nick Blackmer

Tara C. Smith @aetiology.bsky.social · Sep 11

Death from sub-acute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) in a child in Los Angeles
SSPE is a rare sequel of #measles infection that appears years after the initial infection, and is uniformly fatal. So sorry for this family. As things are going on the US, we'll be seeing more of these cases.

Child dies from rare measles-related complication, LA County health officials say

Health officials reported the death of a Los Angeles County child from a complication of measles infection acquired during infancy.

abc7.com

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Reposted by Nick Blackmer

Madhu Pai, MD, PhD @madhupai.bsky.social · Sep 7

Wow!

Covid vaccine development and delivery cost $79.4 billion, but the health and economic benefits of vaccination were valued between $4.83 trillion–$37.8 trillion.

A return on investment of $59.8–$475 per dollar invested!!

This is why vaccine equity matters!

www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...

The global return-on-investment of COVID-19 vaccines in the first year of the vaccination programme

COVID-19 vaccines played a critical role in reducing global health burden during the COVID-19 pandemic, but their rapid development required extraordinary effort. This study aims to evaluate their glo...

www.medrxiv.org

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Reposted by Nick Blackmer

🎃 public HELLth guy 🎃 @publichealthguy1.bsky.social · Aug 11

david rose grew up in our community. his mom was an icu nurse at emory. his wife is pregnant and he had two kids. please share this & help if you can.

Decaturish @decaturish.bsky.social · Aug 11

FYI

Fund will support family of officer killed during attack on CDC

The community now has a way to support the family of Police Officer David Rose who died responding to an Aug. 8 attack on the CDC. On Sunday, the county announced a Go Fund Me account has been establi...

www.decaturish.com

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Reposted by Nick Blackmer

LadyDEADtera32 🍁😷🌈💀 @ladylettera32.bsky.social · Aug 11

Since a LOT of images on my timeline have been lacking alt text I think it’s time for a quick refresher: Alt text is important for users who rely on screen readers. The Bluesky community has long prided itself on being accessible, and we need your help to keep it that way.

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Reposted by Nick Blackmer

Ann O’Dea @annodea.com · Aug 7

We have truly reached a moment in time where this is a perfectly accurate headline:

RFK Jr. defends $500M cut for mRNA vaccines with pseudoscience gobbledygook

He clearly has no idea what antigenic shift means.

arstechnica.com

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Reposted by Nick Blackmer

John Ross @johnrossmd.bsky.social · Aug 7

Wild case of ChatGPT almost killing a guy by telling him to substitute sodium bromine for table salt (sodium chloride) #medsky www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/...

With improvement, he was able to report that he had recently noticed new-onset facial acne and cherry angiomas, fatigue, insomnia, subtle ataxia, and polydipsia, further suggesting bromism. He also shared that, after reading about the negative effects that sodium chloride, or table salt, has on one's health, he was surprised that he could only find literature related to reducing sodium from one's diet. Inspired by his history of studying nutrition in college, he decided to conduct a personal experiment to eliminate chloride from his diet. For 3 months, he had replaced sodium chloride with sodium bromide obtained from the internet after consultation with ChatGPT, in which he had read that chloride can be swapped with bromide, though likely for other purposes, such as cleaning.
Gradually, over the course of a 3-week admission, his chloride and anion gap normalized and psychotic symptoms improved. He was tapered off risperidone before discharge and remained stable off medication at a check-in 2 weeks after discharge. His bromide level ultimately was 1700 mg/L (21 mmol/L; reference range, 0.9 to 7.3 mg/L).

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Reposted by Nick Blackmer

👣COCA👣 🇺🇦 🐸 @nortygirl.bsky.social · Aug 3

Good morning 🌞

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