Jason Shepherd

Open access link below..check out our new article on all things retrotransposons in the brain!

@PDA_PhD @RhysLivingstone 👏🏼👏🏼

Extremely excited to share the first preprint from the lab, led by postdoc @RhysLivingstone biorxiv.org/content/10.648… What did he find? 1/7

@CarlosEAlvare17 No one is disputing the fact that hiring practices changed over the last year to RECTIFY bias in hiring under represented minorities. Personally, I’m not a fan of outright “affirmative action” solutions but all for creating inclusive environments that overcome bias and hurdles.

Gemini prompt: is there any evidence that universities discriminated against males in hiring faculty? Gemini reply: Evidence suggests a shift in academic hiring, with modern studies showing that women are often preferred 2:1 over equally qualified men for tenure-track positions, especially in STEM fields. While historical bias disadvantaged women, recent, specific, and sometimes "reverse discrimination" claims are increasing, reflecting institutional efforts to boost gender diversity… Cited for that: 1/4: pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pn…

Scientists have concentrated on funding issues, for obvious reasons. But the long-term game of this government is to take away independence from scientists and fully take over decision making. Untrained politicians will be making these decisions for non scientific reasons....

@CarlosEAlvare17 lol. Of course the grants that aimed at improving disparities went to..the minorities! Again, show me the data that academia has systematically discriminated against white men for decades. This is just MAGA talking points based on hurt feelings and not on reality.

Academia’s discrimination against white men has happened for decades and the Biden administration accelerated it with DEI workforce initiatives. I have also seen data showing outsized percentages of white women in university DEI positions and women in general in administrative promotions. Folks recently suggested misogyny in recent grant cuts because women were disproportionately affected. The more likely interpretation is that they had more DEI and gender grants.

@CarlosEAlvare17 Show me the data that white men have been discriminated against in NIH funding. Here’s data on racial bias pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC78… How is giving leadership positions to inexperienced folks who do not have the right expertise, restoring “merit”?

Your last sentence was one of my points. You're referring to American Public Health Association, et al. v. National Institutes of Health. You are correct a Massachusetts judge ruled the mass grant cancellation was illegal (arbitrary and capricious, and discriminatory). The lower court did order the grants restored. However, the constitutionality you mention includes the separation of powers issue I referred to earlier, and has not been decided. In August '25, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 against the district court and allowed the government to pause the funding while the appeal proceeds through the lower courts. But that wasn't a SC ruling on the legality of the funding cuts, which is pending the lower court process. If the Supreme Court rules the Executive has these rights and they were fought by academia and the lower courts, then that will be a major improvement in my estimation. Why? Because HHS reform has been indicated for decades and there hasn't been any hint it would ever happen. I also believe restoring merit, combating discrimination against Asians and white men, ending NIH DEI, gender, climate, and GOF research are huge improvements. I would also include the issue of ending pediatric gender affirming care done without justification because it was heavily promoted by academia and the top medical associations (including pediatric and psychological). Aside from that, I agree there's been little noticeable change. But it is not because of Trump but because of the resistance, which gambled on waiting for Supreme Court rulings which could still be years away.

@CarlosEAlvare17 None of us would argue that the NIH couldn’t be improved but I’ve seen nothing that they’ve done that’s been a thoughtful implementation or improvement. Indeed, the courts found that the govt was canceling grants and funding in an unconstitutional way.

It's possible that Vought or someone else could be motivated to inflict pain as you say and even that Trump wants that or is indifferent. They may feel that is necessary to soften the resistance. I can imagine that Trump could see his conflict with academia like he sees the Iran military action. He doesn't want to hurt Iranians or US citizens but believes the IRGC and US permanent government and academic regimes are oppressing citizens and ruining the two countries for ideological concentration of power. For instance, American Asians and white men have been gravely discriminated against in academia for decades for political reasons (I believe unconstitutionally, as the Supreme Court ruled for college admissions). Reversing that is depoliticization. Similarly to the suffering and loss in Iran, it's also happening in US academic science. I don't see the latter happening for political reasons but to reform HHS and academia which critically need it. We know if we're successful in Iran, the world will be better. The question is whether the necessary HHS reforms can be enacted by the Executive Branch and, if so, if they improve lives in the US. Academia has refused to play ball so there's a standoff for now. But I realize this is just my take.

@anne_churchland It really is

@JasonSynaptic Heartbreaking

@CarlosEAlvare17 Trump doesn't care. For some reason Vought, via OMB, is on a crusade to destroy the NIH perhaps as a way to attack academia "woke" policies. Whatever the motives, what is happening is the opposite of depoliticalization. Labs are closing, PIs are moving abroad, ECRs are suffering.

Congress is keeping the ship afloat for the foreseeable future. I don't think the administration has had much leverage given the scientific establishment's and the courts' resistance. With the exception of DEI, I don't see much change in NIH directions and funding (but yes, 20% of the budget last year was pushed to future years of funded grants, so fewer were funded; and this will happen again this year). My impression is that NIH/CDC are not priorities for the administration. Maybe they are waiting on the Supreme Court's rulings on executive powers to end programs, set priorities, ban DEI research and hiring, etc. But the next case that should touch on those is still in the lower courts. I am a scientist too and want US education, scholarship, and research to thrive. In my view, academia has been retreating from Enlightenment values for decades, as evidenced by political alignment and administrative bloat while education and scholarship quality have steadily declined. I don't think conservatism is the solution but depoliticization and restoration of public trust should be the next steps.

@CarlosEAlvare17 I don't care about his motives but take a look at Project 2025 and you will see the rationale for most of what's happening. RFK has zero reason to be HHS director and the govt has gutted scientists in every dept. There's very few credible leaders left to keep the ship afloat.

Do you believe that Trump is purposely trying to ruin the country? I assume you believe the motive would most likely be that he is following orders from Putin? The tarifs are purposely tanking the economy and the Iran military action is increasing oil prices? He is not allowing NIH/NSF funding of DEI, gender, climate, Chinese GOF virology research, and blocking DEI hiring by universities to ruin US biomedicine? Do I have that right? He's in his 80s and you think he's doing this to make Putin happy and to grow his own fortune rather than playing golf? But his primary motivation is to destroy the US? I'm not seeing it.

@CarlosEAlvare17 Trump is doing the opposite of making the US biomedical science competitive and you can already see the damage. All in the name of getting back at Fauci...just insane.

@CarlosEAlvare17 Forward funding last year meant ~20% less new grants were given out. This year, despite congress approving a similar budget, same thing is happening and less $$ have been given out due to political intervention. Labs are closing and talent is not choosing to come here.

@x541ALLDAYx @AmazingNature00

@JasonSynaptic @AmazingNature00 What that fire in the hole isnt real?……lmfao

Absolutely beautiful! 😮 Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah is famous for its stunning red and orange rock formations called hoodoos. These tall spires were shaped over millions of years by freezing water and heavy rains. Although it is called a canyon, it is actually a large natural amphitheater carved into the Paunsaugunt Plateau. The colorful rocks glow beautifully at sunrise and sunset, creating one of the most magical views in the American West. Formed from ancient limestone, Bryce Canyon shows how nature can turn stone and time into art.

@GertrudRey Yeah, most of the “studies” are on par with any other supplement. Of course, this is piggy backing GLP1 agonists that clearly work and seem to do some intriguing things. But even those are being promoted for just about anything without real studies.

@JasonSynaptic As somebody with a PhD in molecular biology and well versed in what might work and what might not, this is how I interpret it: where are the clinical trials showing that the effects (of x peptides) are what they are claimed to be?

FYI peptides are just very short proteins. Interpret this how you will.

It’s snowed more in April than Jan!

@philippzross thetransmitter.org

@JasonSynaptic Sometimes it be like that. Haven’t heard of that one though so I’ll check it out!

Single cell organisms must learn and adapt to the environment...amazingly some of the molecules involved in complex mammalian memory formation (eg CaMKII) are also involved!

@greebletheory yeah..sorry to contribute to the bad news cycle!

ah, time to touch grass

twitter’s algorithm has a way of concentrating and distilling your biggest fears into Phone Sludge bc the only things i’ve got on the tl all day are how everything is abt to be automated and how top percentile grants arent being funded

@philippzross I was supposed to setup another podcast with the Transmitter but it fell through and things just got super busy anyway.

@JasonSynaptic Shame!