Mera L🪬
@mlicc1701.bsky.social
Duke University alumn. Virology research specialist in the Sheahan Lab at CVRG (y'know, at that other blue school). Pop punk millennial. she/they. ✡️•🏳️🌈•🖖
Reposted by Mera L🪬
VACCINES DO NOT CAUSE AUTISM, YOU FLAMING SHITBIRDS.
WE HAVE, IN FACT, RULED IT OUT.
WE HAVE, IN FACT, RULED IT OUT.
November 20, 2025 at 3:02 AM
VACCINES DO NOT CAUSE AUTISM, YOU FLAMING SHITBIRDS.
WE HAVE, IN FACT, RULED IT OUT.
WE HAVE, IN FACT, RULED IT OUT.
Reposted by Mera L🪬
someone's mad at this
November 20, 2025 at 3:14 AM
someone's mad at this
Reposted by Mera L🪬
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”
Reposted by Mera L🪬
give me the quadrivalent mRNA flu vaccine right now. put it in me
November 19, 2025 at 10:49 PM
give me the quadrivalent mRNA flu vaccine right now. put it in me
Reposted by Mera L🪬
I really hate it when scientists keep saying that “we need to rebuild trust in science,” because it implies that scientists are to blame for the mistrust rather than the millions of dollars of dark money that have funded political attacks on science in order to advance a far right agenda.
November 19, 2025 at 9:48 PM
I really hate it when scientists keep saying that “we need to rebuild trust in science,” because it implies that scientists are to blame for the mistrust rather than the millions of dollars of dark money that have funded political attacks on science in order to advance a far right agenda.
Reposted by Mera L🪬
A call to action everyone can take now is to add a public comment. Public comment periods ends Nov 24, 2025. Short and anonymous comments are welcomed! Let’s increase the comments quickly.
Meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices
In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the following meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). ...
www.federalregister.gov
November 17, 2025 at 6:29 PM
A call to action everyone can take now is to add a public comment. Public comment periods ends Nov 24, 2025. Short and anonymous comments are welcomed! Let’s increase the comments quickly.
Reposted by Mera L🪬
If you'd like to celebrate the biology of viruses - or the fight against viral diseases - this winter, try out our free and updated #VirusSnowflake designs.
Please share, and if you have any photos of Virus Snowflakes in your area it would be lovely to see them!
cvr-engagement.co.uk/virus-snowfl...
Please share, and if you have any photos of Virus Snowflakes in your area it would be lovely to see them!
cvr-engagement.co.uk/virus-snowfl...
November 17, 2025 at 5:39 PM
If you'd like to celebrate the biology of viruses - or the fight against viral diseases - this winter, try out our free and updated #VirusSnowflake designs.
Please share, and if you have any photos of Virus Snowflakes in your area it would be lovely to see them!
cvr-engagement.co.uk/virus-snowfl...
Please share, and if you have any photos of Virus Snowflakes in your area it would be lovely to see them!
cvr-engagement.co.uk/virus-snowfl...
Reposted by Mera L🪬
The US should triple the NIH budget.
“ABC11 spoke with Lori Lober, a study participant. Initially, she was given a grim prognosis, with median survival rate of less than 2 to 3% for five years. However, the trial at Duke Health gave her new hope. She has remained disease-free for 24 years.”
I could cry.
I could cry.
Duke Health researchers announces breakthrough in breast cancer vaccine trial
A small group of women with advanced breast cancer participated in a trial where they received a vaccine, and all are alive today.
abc11.com
November 17, 2025 at 3:20 AM
The US should triple the NIH budget.
Reposted by Mera L🪬
The thing that’s a bummer is that science isn’t the bottleneck for finding new antibiotics, soil bacteria are making them all the time. The problem is that new antibiotics can’t make enough money to cover their development costs and generate profit.
British and Australian chemists have discovered a powerful new antibiotic called pre-methylenomycin C lactone, hiding in a well-known soil bacterium. This molecule kills drug-resistant bacteria without triggering resistance. buff.ly/YlXaONo
#ShareGoodNewsToo
#ShareGoodNewsToo
Scientists find hidden antibiotic 100x stronger against deadly superbugs
A team of scientists discovered a hidden antibiotic 100 times stronger than existing drugs against deadly superbugs like MRSA. The molecule had been overlooked for decades in a familiar bacterium. It…
buff.ly
November 16, 2025 at 7:34 PM
The thing that’s a bummer is that science isn’t the bottleneck for finding new antibiotics, soil bacteria are making them all the time. The problem is that new antibiotics can’t make enough money to cover their development costs and generate profit.
Reposted by Mera L🪬
I really did not enjoy Jay Bhattacharya & Matthew Memoli’s screed against pandemic & virology research for the flagship blog of a “free-market think tank." Instead of getting mad, I accepted @jeremyfaust.bsky.social's kind invitation to take a factual & scientific blowtorch to it.
We've got a MASSIVE DEEP-DIVE rebuttal to the NIH leadership’s recent essay. They're arguing for a head-in-the-sand approach to pandemic preparedness.
The great @angierasmussen.bsky.social joins me in an extraordinarily detailed, line-by-line fact check.
insidemedicine.substack.com/p/a-rebuttal...
The great @angierasmussen.bsky.social joins me in an extraordinarily detailed, line-by-line fact check.
insidemedicine.substack.com/p/a-rebuttal...
A rebuttal to NIH leadership's screed against pandemic preparedness.
Dr. Angela Rasmussen joins Inside Medicine for a tag-team response to a poorly reasoned essay by NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya and his deputy, Dr. Matthew Memoli.
insidemedicine.substack.com
November 16, 2025 at 9:28 PM
I really did not enjoy Jay Bhattacharya & Matthew Memoli’s screed against pandemic & virology research for the flagship blog of a “free-market think tank." Instead of getting mad, I accepted @jeremyfaust.bsky.social's kind invitation to take a factual & scientific blowtorch to it.
Reposted by Mera L🪬
I want to spell this out in case the implications aren't clear:
This means all public tools/webapps of GISAID data (all the ones you've been used to seeing thru the pandemic, as far as we can tell) are prohibited.
The file allowed this. Cut that - cut off all tools the public & others were using.
This means all public tools/webapps of GISAID data (all the ones you've been used to seeing thru the pandemic, as far as we can tell) are prohibited.
The file allowed this. Cut that - cut off all tools the public & others were using.
On Oct 1, 2025, GISAID informed us that they had ended updates to the flat file of SARS-CoV-2 genomic sequences and associated metadata that we had used to update Nextstrain analyses since Feb 2020. GISAID's stated rationale was that their "resources are limited". 1/5
November 7, 2025 at 2:41 PM
I want to spell this out in case the implications aren't clear:
This means all public tools/webapps of GISAID data (all the ones you've been used to seeing thru the pandemic, as far as we can tell) are prohibited.
The file allowed this. Cut that - cut off all tools the public & others were using.
This means all public tools/webapps of GISAID data (all the ones you've been used to seeing thru the pandemic, as far as we can tell) are prohibited.
The file allowed this. Cut that - cut off all tools the public & others were using.
Reposted by Mera L🪬
Psyched to say that Mike Diamond is talking at our next seminar. THURSDAY 20th Nov. All welcome!
World leading #virology not to be missed - just email us for a Zoom link.
Please help us with a re-post to get the word out 👍
World leading #virology not to be missed - just email us for a Zoom link.
Please help us with a re-post to get the word out 👍
November 13, 2025 at 10:28 AM
Psyched to say that Mike Diamond is talking at our next seminar. THURSDAY 20th Nov. All welcome!
World leading #virology not to be missed - just email us for a Zoom link.
Please help us with a re-post to get the word out 👍
World leading #virology not to be missed - just email us for a Zoom link.
Please help us with a re-post to get the word out 👍
Reposted by Mera L🪬
The freedom to *checks notes* shit yourself to death
Congress’s shutdown deal eliminated key food safety rules, blocking agencies from enforcing measures to prevent contamination and trace outbreaks. This rollback has coincided with a surge in hospitalizations and deaths from foodborne illnesses.
Shutdown Deal Kills Rules to Prevent Food Contamination and Foodborne Illnesses
The gutting of these rules coincides with a huge increase in hospitalizations and deaths from foodborne illnesses.
truthout.org
November 15, 2025 at 5:45 AM
The freedom to *checks notes* shit yourself to death
Reposted by Mera L🪬
One of the best pieces of science journalism of 2025 is Jon Cohen’s terrifying article on how Trump/RFK Jr/their crew of MAGA/MAHA dudes, like Jay Bhattacharya, have dismantled US pandemic preparedness (www.science.org/content/arti...)
Then read Jay’s astoundingly stupid “pandemic prevention plan”😢
Then read Jay’s astoundingly stupid “pandemic prevention plan”😢
November 15, 2025 at 1:38 AM
One of the best pieces of science journalism of 2025 is Jon Cohen’s terrifying article on how Trump/RFK Jr/their crew of MAGA/MAHA dudes, like Jay Bhattacharya, have dismantled US pandemic preparedness (www.science.org/content/arti...)
Then read Jay’s astoundingly stupid “pandemic prevention plan”😢
Then read Jay’s astoundingly stupid “pandemic prevention plan”😢
Reposted by Mera L🪬
Increasing prevalence of H5N1 globally, drastically reduced surveillance in the US, H3N2 driving a severe flu season in the Northern Hemisphere, a mismatched flu vaccine, and the possibility of undetected human - human transmission of H5N1 is a recipe for a reassortment event.
November 14, 2025 at 10:14 AM
Increasing prevalence of H5N1 globally, drastically reduced surveillance in the US, H3N2 driving a severe flu season in the Northern Hemisphere, a mismatched flu vaccine, and the possibility of undetected human - human transmission of H5N1 is a recipe for a reassortment event.
Reposted by Mera L🪬
Granting anonymity to an HHS official to make a bullshit accusation about a federal worker they’re retaliating against generally isn’t great.
But it serves the story here bc that statement contradicts the official narrative about the leave—and undermines the NIH director’s claims of valuing dissent
But it serves the story here bc that statement contradicts the official narrative about the leave—and undermines the NIH director’s claims of valuing dissent
NIH scientist Dr. Jenna Norton was just placed on nondisciplinary leave.
She led a team who wrote a sign-on letter critical of The Regime.
A person at NIH asked to give a reason for her leave called her “radical leftist”; while the NIH Director has claimed that “dissent is productive”.
She led a team who wrote a sign-on letter critical of The Regime.
A person at NIH asked to give a reason for her leave called her “radical leftist”; while the NIH Director has claimed that “dissent is productive”.
N.I.H. Worker Who Criticized Trump Health Policies Says She Is on Administrative Leave
www.nytimes.com
November 14, 2025 at 7:24 PM
Granting anonymity to an HHS official to make a bullshit accusation about a federal worker they’re retaliating against generally isn’t great.
But it serves the story here bc that statement contradicts the official narrative about the leave—and undermines the NIH director’s claims of valuing dissent
But it serves the story here bc that statement contradicts the official narrative about the leave—and undermines the NIH director’s claims of valuing dissent
Reposted by Mera L🪬
This is designed to tank public health & primary care by excluding public health professions, advanced nursing practice, physical & occupational therapy from loans that can cover the cost of education. This is going to make an existing workforce crisis worse.
aspph.org/department-o...
aspph.org/department-o...
Department of Education Proposal Excludes Public Health Degrees from “Professional Degree” Definition
Discover the new results and implications of Dept of Ed consensus regarding professional degree programs and public health education.
aspph.org
November 14, 2025 at 11:23 AM
This is designed to tank public health & primary care by excluding public health professions, advanced nursing practice, physical & occupational therapy from loans that can cover the cost of education. This is going to make an existing workforce crisis worse.
aspph.org/department-o...
aspph.org/department-o...
Reposted by Mera L🪬
During the height of the pandemic, Tyson used Palantir to predict Covid-19 infections among meatpacking workers down to a nearly exactly figure. But rather than using this data to increase worker protections, Tyson used it plan for labor shortages + plant closures
My latest for @sentientmedia.org
My latest for @sentientmedia.org
November 13, 2025 at 7:49 PM
During the height of the pandemic, Tyson used Palantir to predict Covid-19 infections among meatpacking workers down to a nearly exactly figure. But rather than using this data to increase worker protections, Tyson used it plan for labor shortages + plant closures
My latest for @sentientmedia.org
My latest for @sentientmedia.org
Reposted by Mera L🪬
i’m proud to have studied and worked with many chinese public health scientists over the years. this red scare bullshit is unjust, bigoted, and utterly self-destructive
The only way we will win a better world is not only leftism for America, but internationalism. “Researchers who have anything to do with China should have their careers ended” is a bipartisan position, and it can’t be anymore. If we live in a fragmented world, it will burn in our lifetime
November 14, 2025 at 6:36 AM
i’m proud to have studied and worked with many chinese public health scientists over the years. this red scare bullshit is unjust, bigoted, and utterly self-destructive
Reposted by Mera L🪬
Prohibited activities include advising Chinese graduate students. For reference, a recent Georgetown report estimated 16% of STEM graduate students in the US are Chinese nationals.
This would take out entire fields at the knees, which is perhaps the point.
This would take out entire fields at the knees, which is perhaps the point.
“The prohibited activities would include joint research, co-authorship on papers, and advising a foreign graduate student or postdoctoral fellow. The language is retroactive, meaning any interactions during the previous 5 years could make a scientist ineligible for future federal funding.”
U.S. Congress considers sweeping ban on Chinese collaborations
Researchers speak out against proposal that would bar funding for U.S. scientists working with Chinese partners or training Chinese students
www.science.org
November 14, 2025 at 2:52 AM
Prohibited activities include advising Chinese graduate students. For reference, a recent Georgetown report estimated 16% of STEM graduate students in the US are Chinese nationals.
This would take out entire fields at the knees, which is perhaps the point.
This would take out entire fields at the knees, which is perhaps the point.
Reposted by Mera L🪬
@jenna-m-norton.bsky.social has more integrity and spine than the entire HHS "leadership"
In a video, Norton confirms the news and says: "I strongly suspect it is because I have been speaking up in my personal capacity about the harms I have been witnessing inside the NIH.
Putting me on admin leave was designed to scare and silence me. I will not stop speaking out," she says.
Putting me on admin leave was designed to scare and silence me. I will not stop speaking out," she says.
I guess I am hitting a nerve, because they just put me on admin leave.
TikTok video by Jenna
www.tiktok.com
November 14, 2025 at 3:30 AM
@jenna-m-norton.bsky.social has more integrity and spine than the entire HHS "leadership"
Reposted by Mera L🪬
How President Donald Trump’s administration has undermined efforts to develop vaccines and drugs for the next viral scourge
www.science.org/content/arti...
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 13, 2025 at 11:14 PM
How President Donald Trump’s administration has undermined efforts to develop vaccines and drugs for the next viral scourge
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Mera L🪬
November 13, 2025 at 7:23 PM
Reposted by Mera L🪬
BREAKING: "The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has notified the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) that Canada no longer holds measles elimination status."
Statement from the Public Health Agency of Canada on Canada’s Measles Elimination Status
Following over 12 months of transmission across the country, PAHO confirms Canada's loss of measles elimination status. We are coordinating efforts with provinces and territories to restore the status...
www.canada.ca
November 10, 2025 at 2:36 PM
BREAKING: "The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has notified the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) that Canada no longer holds measles elimination status."
Reposted by Mera L🪬
*deadpan*
This is particularly enraging because 1) @standupforscience.bsky.social is doing a LOT against RFK Jr/MAHA and we are just getting started and 2) because I HAVE SPOKEN WITH HIS WRITERS AND PRODUCER.
@thedailyshow.com hit me up!
This is particularly enraging because 1) @standupforscience.bsky.social is doing a LOT against RFK Jr/MAHA and we are just getting started and 2) because I HAVE SPOKEN WITH HIS WRITERS AND PRODUCER.
@thedailyshow.com hit me up!
November 9, 2025 at 12:18 PM
*deadpan*
This is particularly enraging because 1) @standupforscience.bsky.social is doing a LOT against RFK Jr/MAHA and we are just getting started and 2) because I HAVE SPOKEN WITH HIS WRITERS AND PRODUCER.
@thedailyshow.com hit me up!
This is particularly enraging because 1) @standupforscience.bsky.social is doing a LOT against RFK Jr/MAHA and we are just getting started and 2) because I HAVE SPOKEN WITH HIS WRITERS AND PRODUCER.
@thedailyshow.com hit me up!