Congrats to Dylan Pilz, a research programmer in Kristian G. Andersen's lab, who received the best poster presentation award at the Wastewater & Environmental Surveillance Meeting 2026 in Ghana! A @pha4ge.bsky.social member, Pilz was recognized for his work on wastewater genomic surveillance.
ow.ly
PHA4GE member Dylan Pilz won best poster presentation at the Wastewater & Environmental Surveillance Meeting 2026 in Ghana for work on rapid detection of cryptic SARS-CoV-2 variants in South African wastewater.
Since I'm getting a questions about the new data - a few _preliminary_ comments:
1️⃣ Are the outbreaks in the US connected?
👉 Very likely.
2️⃣ Does this mean US will lose elimination status?
👉 Yes, but that's been clear for a while.
Data: nextstrain.org/measles/geno...
A few details + caveats 🧵👇
Join us tomorrow!
Proud to work with a unified scientific community to show up to a debate with evidence rather than insinuations.
If we are going to rebuild trust in NIH, we better make sure the NIH Director is telling the truth
#NIHFFS
The NIH's 2026 budget is $49 billion. WIC is $7 billion. PEPFAR was $7 billion. Budgets are statements of values.
Carl Zimmer
Kristian G. Andersen
Every story has a quote left on the cutting room floor.
For this one, it's this:
Me: The U.S. has sequenced 1000 measles genomes from our outbreak.
Virologist @eddieholmes.bsky.social: "This is 2026! There shouldn't be 1000 measles genomes. That's disastrous."
kffhealthnews.org/news/article...
A new study in Nature Microbiology reveals that an eye condition called POH-VAU (persistent ocular hypertensive viral anterior uveitis) is caused by covert mortality nodavirus (CMNV) - a virus that's been devastating shrimp farms for over a decade.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Dr. David Morens - who is 78 years old and served his country for nearly 50 years - used Gmail, which he shouldn't have done.
However, "[he] was stripped and handcuffed [by] a half-dozen federal agents carrying guns and wearing tactical gear [..] and jailed".
www.science.org/content/arti...
This is one of the saddest pieces I’ve read in a long time; brace yourself, it’s devastating
I wish RFK Jr and his MAHA movement would read it (they won’t)
🎁 Link
www.nytimes.com/2026/04/21/o...
This week, the CDC began to publish long-awaited data that will reveal the extent of measles’ comeback. While applauding the science, researchers say the Trump administration has done little to contai...
@saveamericamvmt.bsky.social @standupforscience.bsky.social and @27unihted.bsky.social are co-sponsoring an event covering this lecture with the first NIH
Freedom From Science lecture
with scientists who have actually worked to find evidence and unravel the origin of COVID-19
#NIHFFS
2/3
🔔Exclusive: CDC just posted a tranche of genomic data from measles.
1,000 genomes have been sequenced, so researchers expect an answer to the elimination question within the month.
"That we're even talking about this is nuts," said @kgandersen.bsky.social
kffhealthnews.org/news/article...
Covert mortality nodavirus, a pathogen previously known to cause important losses in shrimp aquaculture, is identified as being a potential causative agent of an emerging and severe ocular disease in ...
This week, the CDC began to publish long-awaited data that will reveal the extent of measles’ comeback. While applauding the science, researchers say the Trump administration has done little to contai...
SCOOP: The Pentagon asked the White House today for more than *$200 billion* for Iran war supplemental, sources say
Some in WH think Congress won't support b/c it's so big
Will tee up giant battle in Congress
My last story for WaPo:
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
That figure would far surpass the costs of the U.S. airstrike campaign to date and aims to boost production of critical weapons depleted in the conflict, people familiar with the matter said.
