Mike the Mad Biologist

Links for you. Science:

Staggering 90% of biomedical papers now show signs of AI help. The figure, which is much higher than previous estimates of Large Language Model use, is for papers published in December and archived in PubMed
The Case Against Splitting Up the MMR Vaccine
Outputs of generative diffusion models are often unattributable
What really happened on Easter Island? For decades, an influential theory blamed the Rapanui for their own downfall—a story made famous by Jared Diamond’s book Collapse. New evidence tells a different tale
Emergence Biases in Molecular Evolution
‘They Want Us All To Leave’: Interior Reassigns Dozens of Senior Staff
“I’m Not Talking About 2020. I’m Talking About 2026.”

Other:

Eyeing the midterm elections, D.C. is taking the fight for statehood to the states
Dolly Parton, Public Health Hero, Dies at 80
The Man Behind the Anti-Flock Darth Vader Mask Wants to Know: ‘When Will This End?’
Canada’s Resistance Benefits the US. Trump is our oppressor; those who fight him help us.
No matter what, we have to tear down Trump’s corrupt ballroom (Damnatio memoriae must be an essential part of detrumpification)
Calif. colleges bought everyone ChatGPT. No one knows what to do with it.
Trump Officials Propose Sale of ‘Woke’ Painting by Kehinde Wiley. The State Department recently removed the painting of Dominicans from a U.S. embassy, noting it was by the artist who made Barack Obama’s presidential portrait.
Trump’s Obsession With Dominance Has Made Him a Huge Loser
Police departments weren’t looking for officers abusing Flock. We did it for them.
Oyez, Oyez and Ahoy! Paddlers Protest John Roberts’ Private Island
Trump Administration Has a Different Way to Drain Harvard Funding
So the most powerful person in the world is insane. Now what?
We Asked the Women of the SEC About “Shrekking”
Main Character Syndrome
KING CARNEY ACTIVATES KONG MODE WITH ZERO FUCKS
Two weeks. No power. Gary, Indiana, failed Black citizens. Like many others, Indiana has entered the data center race and is particularly attractive due to the availability of cheap land. NIPSCO, a monopoly utility that serves Gary, is leading the effort.
What’s more punk than … a sewing machine?
Trump takeover has been a financial disaster for the Kennedy Center
Raze Application Filed For Howard’s Wonder Plaza, Clearing Path For New Fusion Building
Losing the Iran War: The Economic Front
Anacostia River water quality improves, but it’s still not safe for swimming
First deaths from measles in Pennsylvania in 35 years
The AI Hater’s Manifesto
Trump administration says it might demolish the Kennedy Center if court blocks renovations
Kennedy Center finances deteriorated sharply after Trump name change
It Should Be Harder to Apply for a Job. No, Really. Thanks to a dwindling supply of open roles, “one-click” applications, and the rise of artificial intelligence, it’s easier than ever to apply for a job. We’re all paying the price.
How Trump’s Crazed Fury at Canada Is Already Backfiring Badly for Him
Farmers Struggle to Get Basic Services From Depleted Agriculture Dept. After the departure of thousands of federal workers, rural communities report problems obtaining loans, grants, technical assistance and support for infrastructure and other services.
Trump’s border wall construction threatens rock art as old as the pyramids: ‘The ancestors are still here’
DHS acknowledges the noncitizen numbers it touted on voter rolls were inflated

Links for you. Science:

Scientists find evidence for two origins of life on Earth. Life may share one ancient genetic code, but new evidence suggests free-living cells emerged independently twice. (paper here)
Bigger, Hotter Fires Are Slowly Erasing America’s Great Forests
HHS document offers new clues to Kennedy’s vaccine plans
She grew up unvaccinated. Now she’s a leading voice for science — and empathy
We killed off California’s grizzly bears over a century ago. Can we resurrect them?
How much of a cancer drug is too much? Patients, researchers challenge FDA-approved dosages.
BGSU research finds toxins from algal blooms present in air samples

Other:

‘It embarrasses me to be involved’: Inside the National Guard D.C. deployment
We Need To Hear From Jeffries. He needs to be drawing redlines, not signaling compromise. Did he get snookered, or does he really intend to work cooperatively with thieves?
The Quest for the Holy Grail of Downtown Recovery
He Picked a Fight With Black America. I’m Here to Finish It.
Why does the New York Times keep calling the left ‘divisive’?
‘People are p***** off’: Black voters are turning out after Supreme Court guts Voting Rights Act
You’re Not Censored, But Get Off My Stage. It’s not deplatforming when security won’t let me rap with Kendrick.
Never Apologize For Being a Class Traitor
What actually happened to faculty hiring under DEI? (“During the pandemic, faculty hiring dropped dramatically but DEI policies kept minority hiring flat/slightly elevated — leading to ~1 additional faculty hired per institution per year relative to the counterfactual.”)
Hey, So Why The Hell Is Hakeem Jeffries Meeting With Prince Jared Of Trump?
Born on technology’s third base
Dan Osborn staffers infiltrated rival political party, tried to dissolve it
What Democrats can learn from Mitch McConnell
Are the polls overestimating Democrats again?
The friction-free design principles at the heart of Japan’s busiest cities
USS Lincoln sailor heartbroken after Trump’s ICE goons arrest his dad
Trump’s Third-Worldism
Trump-Aligned America First Policy Institute Backing Ex-NBA Player Tossed from WNBA Game
49ers Owner Jed York Red-Faced After Arrest In Ohio
Secret White House bunker undercuts Trump’s ballroom lawsuit, ex-officials say
The Density Divide and the Southernification of Rural America
Narrative Vehicles: The law enforcement bullets that killed Renee Good, Kohen Wiley, and John Albers entered from the side. Why did the official accounts say the cars were driving straight at officers?
US territories hit out at Trump plan to explore deep sea mining in the Pacific
Does Your Cat’s Butthole Touch Everything It Sits On? One Middle-Schooler Devised an Experiment to Find Out
Trump Seethes at Natalie Harp Mess as Leaks Grow Damning
How Canada can help Americans and defeat America

Links for you. Science:

Freaky Little Plant Propagated By Freaky Little Freaks
Ebola outbreak out of control in Democratic Republic of the Congo, WHO says: ‘It is spreading faster than our ability to contain it’
Alfalfa Sprout Outbreak Linked To Food-Poisoning In 15 States (notable for the diversity of organisms, suggesting long-term contamination problems)
Giant whales move into Greenland waters as ice disappears
Lifeforms Can Survive on ‘Significant’ Regions of the Moon, Study Finds
On “Women’s health”
Brand Hype Has Existed Since the Bronze Age, Scientists Discover
HHS document offers new clues to Kennedy’s vaccine plans

Other:

Yes Obviously the Senate Should Be Abolished
An American City, With Troops on Its Streets
Anthropic’s Text Watermarking Proves AI Companies Do Not Care at All About Writing
It Won’t Take Much to Burst the Stock Market Bubble
The gospel of science denial, from Galileo to RFK Jr. Donald Trump and RFK Jr.’s anti-vax agenda has deep roots in fundamentalist faith and Big Business
Atlanta Dream And WNBA Embrace Anti-Trans Losers
Pete Hegseth is Trump’s favorite kind of failure
‘I Saw a Shiny Thing’: Cop Explains Why He Used License Plate Reader to Stalk Woman
Revenge of the Nerds
When Clout-Chasing Eats Your Brain
The National Park Service Is Using Flock. Rangers Are Pissed
What If Moviegoers Want Johnny Depp Back? (but Woke 1.0 went too far something something)
Homeland Security Made a Big Claim About Noncitizen Voting. Now It Can’t Prove It.
‘Trump in purgatory’: A White House plan to lower beef prices is dividing the president’s supporters
A 1,600-year-old Village, a Dazzling Mosaic and a New Story of Ancient Judaism
How a Billionaire Shaped Trump’s Homelessness Policy
Federal Judge Vacates Trump Policy That Suspended Processing Of Immigration Visas From 75 Countries
Trump’s Ballroom Isn’t Just a Farce Anymore—It’s a Threat
Postal Service Publishes Finalized Plan to Restrict Mail Ballots
Flop Era
Stars and Stripes publisher could be fired before planned retirement, sources say
There Are Carrier Pigeon Apps Now Because Pigeon Technology Is Actually Superior
Natalie Harp Is the High Priestess of the Cult of Trump
We Tried to Cover a Tom Kean Campaign Event. Someone Called the Police.
The Trump Plan to Cook the Census Books
The Classless Clown
No, Woke 1 Was Not Crazy
DOE wants to ‘permanently end’ appliance efficiency requirements
How Protein Ate Our Grocery Stores
When Canada Is Dead And Gone

Links for you. Science:

Farm mice study shows antibiotic resistance is an environmental problem, not just a medical one (paper here)
Are wasps losing their rhythm?
Mount Pleasant residents say ‘hell no’ to trees of heaven
Who’s most at risk in the cyclospora outbreak? The farmworkers on the front lines.
Yes, COVID Is Still a Thing
Scientists Recreate the Melting ‘Diamond Rain’ of Neptune and Uranus. It May Help Fusion Power
Moderna and Merck’s Cancer Vaccine Is the Advance We’ve Been Waiting For

Other:

Why Are Dead Malls a Thing?
Woke What? Let’s Be Fucking Serious (were stupid things said? Yes. But the Trump administration is the most openly racist and bigoted administration since the Wilson administration–over a century ago–and Trump himself is an adjudicated rapist. Clearly, actions regarding civil rights and sexual assault did not go far enough).
Trump’s Lust for Vengeance Is Turning Into a Farce
Natalie Harp Should Concern Everyone—I Should Know, I Once Had Her Job
ICE gloves reveal how Trump’s revenge agenda is failing
Chatbots are doing the work of Congress with little oversight. From writing speeches to sorting constituent mail, AI is spreading through Congress faster than the rules governing its use. (we’re doomed)
Los Angeles fashion district feels like a ghost town a year after the raids
Trump Administration Moves to Allow Logging in Pristine National Forests
US firms that kept DEI policies despite ‘go woke, go broke’ threats thrived
Trump Backed Away From a Wall at Big Bend. But the Bulldozers Are Here.
Academic who accused Jason Arday of plagiarism suspended by his university. Researcher Nathan Cofnas previously claimed Black people would hold few high-profile positions in a meritocracy
Long Covid Bias Cases Fight Long Odds Even Before Reaching Court
US military base schools put new emphasis on Western civilization and Christianity
Baseless Threats Won’t Stop Our Independent Research, Says CAP’s Neera Tanden (Trump is so awful, we end up rooting for CAP and Tanden…)
NCBA Statement on President Trump’s Truth Social Post (ranchers aren’t happy!)
Beatty files emergency request to stop Trump’s name from returning to Kennedy Center
Silicon Valley’s Most Dangerous Innovation
Natalie Harp Is the Unsupervised Gatekeeper to the Man with the Nuclear Buttons
Across Nashville Neighborhoods, Parked Waymos Are Recording You
Trump’s Third Term: The Constitution does not enforce itself
Stack Underflow: Losing the Craft of Coding. Software engineers are now Claude Code managers. But how can I manage what I’m forgetting how to do myself?
Whistleblower says probes into antisemitism at colleges were ploys to harass and strip millions
What’s the Value of an Hour?
Proteinmaxxing is reshaping L.A. dining — and pushing small restaurants to the brink
Coordination
Natalie Harp’s taxpayer-funded salary under fire as it’s compared to pay of USS Lincoln sailors
The Health Of Our Big Beautiful President
Jason Arday Was the Real Scholar
Seattle Times Dipshit Quits Because His Editors Were Smart Enough To Spike His Stupid Columns
Trump wildly claims hospitals are performing ‘reverse surgery’ on trans patients ’at my order’

Links for you. Science:

The CDC has zombie programs. Congress funds them, but few people are left to do the work
Ticks that cause Lyme and other diseases have migrated south. Are doctors ready?
The Super El Niño Won’t Fix the West’s Water Crisis (will Trump take on Big Ag?)
GTX-GUT: A Standardized Metagenomic Workflow for Gut Microbiome Profiling and Clinical Associations
How Cyclospora Evaded the U.S. Food Safety System to Sicken Thousands
HHS’s new strategic plan for autism prioritizes interventions offered at authors’ own clinics
How the National Science Foundation is Closing the Door on Opportunity in Science

Other:

This Is How Democrats Talk Themselves Out Of Wielding Power
The Left Is Building Power. That’s Why Dems Are Slamming “Woke 1.0.” A series of electoral victories by democratic socialists and their allies is posing a challenge to establishment Democrats, and ​they’d rather attack rhetoric than debate policy. (the Trump administration is the most openly racist administration since Woodrow Wilson, and Donald Trump is an adjudicated rapist. “Woke 1.0” clearly didn’t go far enough)
Colorado Was Targeted as Trump Fumed Over Election Denier, Email Shows (impeach him. Impeach him now)
DOJ slams D.C. Council for calling for National Guard withdrawal. A Justice Department official accused council members of “ignorance” and “impotent theatrics” over their request for governors to remove their troops from D.C. (impeachment shouldn’t be just for high officials. Impeach Colin M. McDonald. Impeach him now)
Colorado GOP Gov Nominee Claims to Have Battled ‘Demons’ With ‘Reptilian’ Eyes
Disney runs out of patience with Brendan Carr’s bullsh*t
Navy weighs renaming carrier slated to honor Black war hero, potentially switching it to Trump
Facebook Is Drowning In Islamophobic AI Slop Calling for Violence Against Muslim Americans
The ‘vibe shift’ was a leveraged buyout
I Aspired To Get My PhD At Cambridge – I Left Because Of The Racism
The Painful Truth of Exactly How ICE’s New Shock Gloves Work
NC Board of Elections votes along party lines to reject most Sunday early voting hours (if voting doesn’t matter, the fascists still seem awful concerned about people voting)
Who Is a Jew? California Considers a Small Box With Big Implications.
ICE’s New Electric Shock Gloves Are Billed As “Low Optics” Tool
Silicon Valley Executives Are Tech Fans. Just Not for Their Own Kids.
Trump bought as much as $5 million in Axon stock before ICE sought $220 million Taser deal
Matt Dunlap’s campaign is openly attacking Paul LePage’s age
Ken Paxton Was Double-Booked With an Emo Band at a Houston Venue. Things Got Weird.
How the A.I. Borrowing Binge Helps Drive Up Government Bond Yields
He Cursed at a Public Meeting. Then He Was Arrested.
What Do Students Lose When They Stop Writing? Educators are worried that many students can no longer write essays without A.I. And it’s costing more than just grammar skills.
He Co-Founded Airbnb. Now He’s a Red-Pilled Billionaire Helping Trump
Gossipy Academics Helped Kill Jason Arday
Journalists as Trump’s ‘human shields’ should be the WHCA’s last straw
DHS Exempted Itself from Normal Law for Undercover Investigation Into Protesters
Subtlefakes: Slightly Altered Nonconsensual AI Images Are Taking Over X
DC celebrates 250 years with a historically poignant mural for each city ward
How close is Donald Trump to the “crazification” line? (the original crazification post here)
The broken promise of D.C.’s Commission on Poverty
Drivers would take pay cut to avoid Northern Virginia commutes

Links for you. Science:

NIH RFI on plans to stop using percentiles to select grants for funding (very good)
As a component of aseptic technique, Bunsen burners do not universally decrease deposition of microbe-containing particles
Economic toll of declining MMR vaccination
America’s Public Health System Was Too Easy to Break
Salmonella Is Everywhere. From granola to guacamole, a wide variety of foods have been recalled lately over salmonella risks. Experts say common-sense precautions go a long way.
COVID is ‘growing’ in nearly every state, CDC reports. Here’s where levels are highest
When Size Goes Inside: Visceromegaly in Bodybuilders Is Not Attributed to High-Protein Intake but More Likely Associated with the Use of Appearance- and Performance-Enhancing Drugs

Other:

Can moderates actually fix our problems?
Flock Has a Powerful New AI Tool for Police. We Got Its Code. Flock’s surveillance cameras have already sparked outrage. WIRED reconstructed its next-generation AI system, already in use by some police, to confirm it goes much further than tracking license plates.
The Next Democratic President Must Refuse to Be Hamstrung by Trump’s Deficit
DC has officially lost over 83,000 jobs. The reality is even worse.
The Case Against Bond Market Panic
How can DC get out of its downward financial spiral?
AI was supposed to win people over by now — it hasn’t
Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen
The wildflower table holds summer’s last days
A Texas University Becomes a Petri Dish for a Conservative Overhaul
DeSantis appointee for Clerk of Courts arrested on child sexual abuse charges
‘Show How 3M Is 0% at Fault:’ Expert Witness Used ChatGPT to Write Report Defending Company in Deadly Explosion Lawsuit
GOP Candidates Sponsor Preacher Who Blamed America for Jan. 6 and COVID
We Tracked a Shipment of Rare Books. It Ended at an Amazon AI Training Facility
Kind Of A Big Deal
Ossoff annoys Trump, White House, to Democratic delight and dismay
How much is Natalie Harp shaping world events? Trump’s ‘binky’ should be a scandal
Another democratic socialist victory – Angie Nixon in Florida – sends shock waves through party establishment
Democrats can make Natalie Harp ‘scandal’ a bigger headache for GOP
Trump aide Natalie Harp nurses his decline. The president’s defensive reaction to rampant speculation reveals his fear of aging
“License Plate Readers”
D.C.’s IndyCar race will zoom past museums. Some worry it could harm the art inside
AI is making everything worse. The political problem isn’t the data centers — it’s that AI is a turd mountain looming over daily life
Meta glasses are a workplace menace
Everything Is Getting Too Damn Expensive. Blame Out-of-Control Mass Deportation
Was Vindman Actually A Stronger Candidate Than Nixon?
DHS, probing anti-ICE activists, spied on at least five Midwest churches, court records indicate
The Republicans Are Going to Kill People—but Not Until After They Vote. In the Big Beautiful Bill, the GOP put off Medicaid cuts until after midterms. America is about to find out why.
Comcast is turning millions of its routers into motion detectors
Experts raise alarms over Census Bureau report Trump is touting on noncitizen voting