Mike the Mad Biologist

Links for you. Science:

Silicon Valley promises AI will cure disease. Drugmaker CEOs aren’t buying it.
A Physicist at Israel’s Weizmann Institute Is Manipulating Light to Make Objects Invisible
How Earth Lost a Billion Years of Its History
Some Parts of the Ocean Are Turning a Weird Shade of Blue-Green. Scientists Suspect It’s Plastic
Is America on the brink of an animal-flu pandemic?

Other:

‘I’m a hard yes’: Hakeem Jeffries announces support for Hegseth impeachment
A year after the 100% AI mandate nobody understands our code
Psycho killer
Surge in voter turnout in urban, border counties carried Texas blue wave
It’s Education, Stupid (this ignore the role of religious affiliation; among whites, religious affiliation is a much better predictor than education)
Crowley says he’d sign bill redrawing congressional lines as he looks to first 100 days
Protest erupts at Boyle Heights hospital after ICE transports patient, blocks ambulance entrance
Democrats Want Their Party to Rethink Its Southern Strategy (though it’s worth noting they’ll do much better in off-year elections than presidential year elections)
‘That Stops When I’m Governor’: Dem Texas Governor-Elect Warns Big Tech And Elon Musk
Gina Hinojosa’s Win Was the Most Important of the Entire Midterms
Two Blue States Voted Against Trans Youth In Sports
To Win Back Americans’ Hearts, Israel Should Form a Government With Arab Parties
Meet the man who keeps many of Boston’s historic doors beautiful
U.S. Midterms Will Usher in a Radically Different Israel Policy. Israelis Aren’t Ready (though it really doesn’t discuss how much Republicans are going to blame Israel for Trump’s disastrous Iran policy, which is a whole ‘nother source of trouble)
Progressives Probably Can’t Stop Chuck Schumer From Becoming Senate Majority Leader
A Jewish-Arab Government Is the Answer to Israel’s Most Basic Problems
Mitch McConnell gives unnerving blank stare when asked about midterm results as heath concerns mount
An Anthropic S-1 Colonoscopy
The Confessions of an AI Fraud Kingpin
About that night… Troy Jackson, Susan Collins and the remaking of Maine
Michael Lewis on Elon’s Anti-Moneyball
America’s Backlash Against Oligarchy
The Netflix vs. YouTube Phony Cold War
Hegseth expands National Guard presence in D.C.
On Congress
The Huang Affair: What did they know and when did they know it?
Fox and the GOP were so distracted, they let Annie Andrews win
That’s Sad
The forgotten formula for lovable cities
Know Your Place

Links for you. Science:

Do cats fart? An investigation into the mysteries of feline flatulence
This insidious tropical virus has now reached Switzerland as well
Flesh‑eating screwworm is spreading in the US, threatening livestock and wildlife – hunters can be the first line of defense
Spiders Sleep, But Do They Dream?
Big, Beautiful, And Bulging
The Bull And Male Donkey Who Choose Each Other Again And Again (For Sex)
Oldest Evidence of Getting High on Cannabis Discovered In 2,800-Year-Old Tomb: ‘Absolutely Crazy’

Other:

Make bad things bad again
There Is No Place In A Functional Society For Elon Musk
The Texas GOP Went Too Far, and It Cost the Party Everything
Trumpism Is Failing Because It Is Very, Very Stupid
Jim Hightower’s Moment
Goddamn, That Was Satisfying
Democracy Reform Can Begin Today—But We Need Help
Jay Feely’s Congressional Dreams Have Doinked Off The Uprights
What happened? A revolution
Free Press Dumbass Has An AI Whoopsie
Mississippi Goddamn
More States Banned Trans Kids From Sports This Week
Trump touted his Reflecting Pool success. But new problems are visible.
Farewell To The Cybertruck, A Total Failure
Trump’s Triumphal Arch Hits a Blue Wall
Courting Slur-Users Isn’t A Winning Strategy When They Have Slurs For You
Never Get High on Your Own Supply
Trump ally Loomer was paid thousands for political tweets, people familiar say
Jeffries calls Miller a ‘dangerous xenophobe’ after promotion: ‘Fire him today’
‘There Is One Fight’: American Voters Reject Tech Oligarchy
D.C. Officials Hope the Blue Wave Will End the National Guard Deployment
New Polling on Ousting Schumer: Necessary Policy and Smart Politics
Over 200 democracy scholars call on Congress to end single-member Congressional districts and adopt proportional representation
Let the Investigations Begin!
The Arbogast Fallacy
Actually, Democrats Don’t Have to Sacrifice Trans People or Immigrants to Win
How Stephen Miller’s Fixation on Minnesota’s Somalis Became a Full-Scale Crackdown
The American People Just Kicked Donald Trump’s Ass
Standoff Over D.C. Council Seat Ends Peacefully, Maybe Not Happily
Democrats Crushed Trump. Here’s What They Should Do Next.

Links for you. Science:

1,600 Years Ago, This Man Traveled Across Europe. So Did His Rare Strain of Leprosy
A ‘tidal wave’ of severe eye disease is looming. It starts with childhood nearsightedness
What Happens When You Shine Three Lights on Sunflowers? The Plants Surprisingly Grow Toward the Dimmest One
US deep-sea mining claims in Pacific’s high seas now rival the area set aside by international regulator
New York reports first measles death in more than 30 years
Hidden ecological risk from overlooked invasive crayfish species
Brahminy Blind Snake

Other:

Maybe Telling Americans They’re Useless Eaters Who Must Perish for the Glorious AI Revolution Was a Bad Idea: Midterm Thoughts
“MAGA Needs To Be Dead”: Dade Phelan on the Republican Wipeout
The Epstein Election and the End of MAGA: The issue once motivated Trump voters. This week, it helped doom Republicans. (seeing Republicans dinged by their own lunacy is delicious)
Trump Has Been Thumped. That Doesn’t Make Him Any Less Dangerous.
Not In My Wildest Dreams Did I See A Texas This Blue
Lame Duck Soup: With Democrats in control of Congress, Washington is bracing for Trump to focus on wild, legacy-defining foreign policy swings—anything from regime change in Cuba to expanding the Abraham Accords to reengaging with Kim Jong Un—as he contemplates the end of his presidential era
J Street: 2026 National Election Survey of Jewish Voters
Tech Stocks Had a Terrible Day. What’s Coming Could Be Worse.
We Stomped All Over the Patriarchy on Tuesday Night
Elon Musk’s Very Bad Night
Trump May Come to Regret His Rush Job on the Arch and Ballroom
How WeRateDogs Is Fighting A.I. Slop, One Perfect Puppy at a Time
RIP Cybertruck. You Were Unloved, Unwanted, and Utterly Absurd
Democrats Won a Big Race in Montana. Why Do They Have Regrets?
One Subplot To The GOP’s Midterm Debacle Was A Repudiation Of The MAHA Movement
D.C. Officials Hope the Blue Wave Will End the National Guard Deployment
Overturning Euclid: Three judicial pathways for challenging the case
Parents and Teachers Provide ‘Disturbing’ Testimony on D.C. Special Education
Can You Afford to Watch TV?
The Results Are In: Voters Hate Data Centers
Attorney General-elect Nathan Johnson says he won’t sue out-of-state doctors who mail abortion pills to Texas
Trump’s Vaunted Multiracial Coalition Is Dead
Elon Musk will face scrutiny from Democrats after midterms
Laura Loomer Goes on “Hiatus” After Bombshell Revelation on Paid Posts
New York Times taps conservative crackpot as voice of GOP reason
Turnout among Black voters surged in the Deep South. Black voters made up a larger share of the electorate than in 2024, helping to (maybe) flip a Senate seat in Mississippi
Donald Trump should resign. Congress should demand it
Everybody Moves Leftward
The Obvious Truth of the Midterm Obliteration
The Ugly Car That Sucks Has Died

Links for you. Science:

The Case for Impeaching RFK Jr. With Democrats about to take over the House and Senate, it’s time for the adults in the room to take action. (excellent; would add that the threat of impeachment makes it more likely Kennedy resigns)
These Newly Elected Lawmakers Know Something Trump Doesn’t: Science
‘Revenge of the nerds’: US midterms deliver a win for science – and a rebuke of Maha
US infant bleeding episodes jump as vitamin K refusals rise, two studies find (one paper here)
National Weather Service ordered to resume twice-daily weather balloon launches, “an important step”
Wisconsin reports its first measles death in decades, the third in the U.S. this week
Association of COVID-19 with neurodegenerative and neurological disorders in vaccinated and unvaccinated people

Other:

What’s missing from every story about Tuesday’s anti-Trump rout (excellent)
Everyone Everywhere Hated Meta’s New AI Training Terms. Now, They’re On Pause
Even Where MAGA Won, MAGA Lost
Iraq-style war vehicles to descend on DC as Hegseth escalates Trump’s crackdown: report
America Finally Has the Votes to End the Electoral College
Republicans Learn X Is the Echo Chamber
Trump broke the ‘Solid South’
The Deposed Queen Of Maine
Russell Brand found guilty of rape and sexual assault
Police arrest D.C. man National Guard said pointed ‘finger gun’ at them
Democrats’ Power in the Lame-Duck Session
Election Night’s Most Poignant Picture
Lords of the New Church (Committee)
Goodbye from Salon
Jon Ossoff Showed Democrats How to Channel Voters’ Anger About Corruption and Corporations
Weeks before rape conviction, Russell Brand was featured speaker for Maha group allied with RFK Jr
Democrat Who Suspended His Campaign 2 Months Ago Beats His GOP Opponent By 9 Points
Challenger McCool defeats incumbent Cotham to flip NC House seat (Cotham was a horrible person)
Cut Trump Loose. An airtight case for JD Vance and his party to consider.
Democrats Are Reviewing a Plan to Investigate Corporate America
Blue Wave Changed Who Governs. But Not Who Has Influence.
D.C. artists hope for a new era under Janeese Lewis George
America isn’t the only nation celebrating the blue tsunami
A Reckoning for Top Congressional Stock Traders
Pro-Trump media viewership tanks on election night
Hakeem Jeffries Is Bankrolled by the Most Controversial Tech Companies in Existence
D.C. evictions hit 12-year high as safety net shrinks and cost of living soars
Somebody Woke Hakeem

Links for you. Science:

WHO approves trials for two new Ebola vaccines
A ‘STEM wave’: Democratic doctors, scientists win a record number of seats in the midterms
Famed Iron Age king was actually a woman
HHS Touts New Vaccine-Injury Initiatives — Proposed changes will only undermine confidence in vaccines, health groups say
Centuries-old cemetery helps scientists link climate shocks to Industrial Revolution disease
The Fishing Industry Is Changing Fish at the DNA Level, and Scientists Are Worried About What Comes Next

Other:

Bluesky was right all along and will accept your apology any time. Many savvy pundits on X framed the 2024 election as a massive political realignment and Bluesky as a “copium” den for progressives in a bubble. Boy, were they wrong.
Media Redefines ‘Mandate’ to Make Sure No One Thinks Democrats Have One
Say Goodnight, New Democrats. It’s the Era of the New New Democrats.
Progressive Senator Demands ‘Bold Agenda’ Before Backing Schumer
Where does MAHA go from here? 3 possible futures
James O’Keefe’s Minnesota stunt backfires spectacularly
Gone And Forgotten
Maggie Ellis becomes 1st out LGBTQ+ person elected to a statewide office in Texas
How a Logger From Maine Toppled a Giant of the Senate
Musk’s election meddling failed. Now he’s screwed.
The Best MAGA Midterm Crashouts, Ranked
Talafreako Goes to Washington
Trumpism Is Failing Because It Is Very, Very Stupid
Voters Set $400 Million of Elon Musk’s Money on Fire
“I Hate My Fucking Life Right Now”: A Night Out With DC Republicans as the Blue Wave Crashed Down
Tuesday Was a Huge Night for Protecting Access to Abortion
D.C. Council Member Christina Henderson Switches From Independent to Democrat
Voting in 2026 Is Getting an AI Slop ‘I Voted’ Sticker
Janeese Lewis George Wins Race to Become D.C.’s Next Mayor
One quote that explains a lot about why the GOP lost
Study Claims Vizio Simply Ignores ‘Smart’ TV Spying Opt Out Requests
Arizona’s lifeline to the Colorado River is drying up. Its designers warned us decades ago
Sinking Ships
How a Democratic Congress could help D.C. — and Janeese Lewis George
The Great Noticing
Newly Elected Governors Could Pause 41% of America’s Planned Data Centers
Queer Michigan history was made in the midterms this year
A generative election: Three of the biggest losers in the midterm elections were data centers, AI, and tech oligarchs. People are angry, and united. But this should just be the beginning.
The Machine, and the Messaging, That Won Texas for Democrats
Bluesky Gets a Midterms Bump, Ships Pronouns-in-Bios Feature. Bluesky is feeling itself right now, but it says the pronouns-in-bios thing is a coincidence.
With a Ban Passed, D.C.’s Foie Gras Fight Might Just Be Getting Started

Links for you. Science:

Social network analysis and agent-based modeling in social epidemiology (check out the first author)
US social sciences face existential crisis after NSF cuts
Fine and ultrafine Martian dust presents additional risks for future crewed missions to Mars
The Evolution Exchange: NSF Funding Shifts in Evolutionary Biology
Long Covid Recovery Varies Sharply by Symptoms, Study Finds
Ebola Fatality Rate Tops 50% After Hundreds of Deaths Added to Congo Toll
Scientists confirm global warming is accelerating faster than ever recorded

Other:

Don’t Read The Mandate Down. No one wins a historic realignment election because inflation is slightly above trend. The public wants an end to the scourges of tyranny. Deliver it.
D.C.’s 2026 general election results are in. Here’s what they mean. In a largely suspense-free election, the District gets a democratic socialist mayor and says au revoir to foie gras.
Texas Republicans Get Washed
‘Weren’t being wallflowers’: Here’s what a Utah poll worker saw when DOJ election monitors stopped by his polling location (the attempted intimidation obviously didn’t work)
Haley Stevens proves it again: Centrists are the Democrats’ biggest problem. It’s not the progressives who undermine and betray their party, it’s the supposedly pragmatic centrists.
The New York Times Is Simply Not A Credible Newspaper. The paper fired a columnist for the “crime” of simply reposting valid criticism of the paper’s refusal to cover a new and credible Trump rape accusation.
A mandate in 2026? Not so fast. I pushed back against the idea of an electoral mandate in 2024. I haven’t changed my mind.
James Talarico Is Texan Enough for Texas Voters
Voters Oust Notorious Pro-ICE Sheriff in Maryland
What does a blue Texas sweep mean for Tesla, SpaceX & Elon Musk? (Elon stonks down big today tho)
The No Kings Election
It Wasn’t (Just) the Economy, Stupid
What Happens Next
At Ken Paxton’s Watch Party: Lots of Thoughts, Lots of Prayers
Why the Democrat blue wave could be a good thing for Apple stock
The World Is Prepared To Boycott Russian Hockey
“They Hate the Groypers Because They Were Right”: Far-right figures who broke with Trump over Iran and the Epstein files are reveling in his party’s midterm defeat.
My flabbers are gasted.
These firms you’ve never heard of are feeding fears the AI bubble could burst
Historian Carter G. Woodson’s Home Reopens as a Museum in DC
D.C. Youth Baseball Players Show Support for Coach in ICE Custody
L’Enfant Plaza is bad for everyone. Is there an opportunity to return to its residential past?
East Potomac Park Users Are Angry and Afraid Ahead of Possible Closure
Blue Texas
Senator criticizes Trump administration over low flyover by president’s plane in D.C.
Retirement Home
Politics Party: D.C. Is Ready for a New Era Under Mayor-Elect Janeese Lewis George
D.C. Council Member Christina Henderson Switches From Independent to Democrat
Lindsey’s Legacy
The Revitalized Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden Invites You to Dive Right In