13 former NSF directors and National Science Board chairs sent a letter to the Senate expressing concern about the trajectory of the nation's $9 billion basic science funding agency, which they say is a hedge against "scientific surprise" - the breakthroughs that will occur in other countries.
Some 59,000 years ago, a Neanderthal developed a toothache.
What happened next was, in many ways, astonishing. wapo.st/48WvYXj
This scientist learned he has a devastating brain disease. He set out to cure it. wapo.st/4u6nlkv
Related, here is another story, explaining what's at stake with the changes, slowdowns and new uncertainties to biomedical research funding www.washingtonpost.com/science/2026...
Diabetes researchers, including the editor of a flagship journal, ejected from conference after criticizing Trump's "dismantling" of biomedical research wapo.st/49EYInR
Why these treatments for one of the deadliest cancers are stirring such hope - lots of excitement for a growing "buffet" of pancreatic cancer treatments that are *finally* offering some hope against this grim diagnosis wapo.st/3OlCdNn
NEWS: Trump ousts board that governs NSF, the nation's $9 billion science agency
“On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I’m writing to inform you that your position as a member of the National Science Board is terminated, effective immediately.” wapo.st/3P3DSY2
This is in many ways a pretty depressing advance. Scientists identified a handful of potent antibodies that block measles - a basic science question that (until recently) was a bit moot because we eliminated it with a highly effective vaccine. wapo.st/4f8Aeqt
What does it *mean* when AI solves a long-unsolved math proof?
Terry Tao thinks of climbing vs. jumping. AI systems “are still largely ‘jumpers,’ who can reach heights that a human might not be able to reach in one go but do not ‘fail gracefully,’ and one often cannot salvage much." wapo.st/43DN2OL
Really neat writeup by @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social of the new work showing that a Neanderthal from Chagyrskaya Cave, Russia, sat for a dental drilling almost 60,000 years ago.
www.washingtonpost.com/science/2026...
Jeff Carroll is part of a new effort to accelerate the development of targeted cures for a handful of neurodegenerative diseases.
wapo.st
Neanderthals used rock drills to treat an infected tooth, according to a study that pushes back the earliest known evidence of dentistry by more than 40,000 years.
The Trump administration has slashed the number of grants from the National Institutes of Health, with far fewer focused on women, cancer and mental health.
www.washingtonpost.com
The scientists, including the editor of a leading journal, were handing out copies of an editorial criticizing the Trump administration’s handling of biomedical research.
Pancreatic cancer has stymied treatment advances for decades. Data from new clinical trials shows promise.
wapo.st
Members of the independent board that guides the National Science Foundation said they received a notice from the White House that their position was being terminated.
Neanderthals used rock drills to treat an infected tooth, according to a study that pushes back the earliest known evidence of dentistry by more than 40,000 years.
Math illuminates how traffic flows, how our cells build proteins and even how to speed up medical imaging scans. Some worry the academic discipline now faces an existential threat.
