Jon Cohen

So grateful that WSU and MLB welcomed us, and that my editors let me stretch the definition of science writing a bit!

Science Magazine@science.org

A “robo ump” that calls balls and strikes in Major League Baseball makes its World Series debut this week. It has to be near-perfect. @cohenjon.bsky.social takes a closer look. Learn more: https://scim.ag/4si96tE

A backroom accounting of my visit to Petco Park, home of the magnificient San Diego Padres, to do a story about the science and scientists behind the robo umps that are revolutionizing Major League Baseball. @science.org bit.ly/4snq4ai

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science.orgInside the science of the ‘robo ump’ revolutionizing baseballWith high-speed cameras and a “pitch cannon,” researchers are refining the automated ball-strike system about to call its first World Series

science.orgHow scientists domesticated a killer bacteriumGenome analysis shows how decades of lab cultivation turned C. botulinum, the canned-food killer, into a potent tool for medicine and the beauty industry

A prominent scientist once asked me what I thought made for a good story. I listed a bunch of things--significant, interesting, new info, conflict, characters, narrative, surprise. He said I was missing a key thing that drove scientists: curiosity. Here's to that: www.science.org/content/arti...

science.org‘The anti-Fauci’? Lab-leak proponent listed in NIH directory but denies being hiredBiotech executive Steven Quay may be in contention for leadership role in infectious disease institute

science.orgHow did Rosalind Franklin miss the helix in her iconic DNA image? She didn’tNew analysis refutes James Watson’s claim he was first to recognize significance of famed photograph 51

Nice to see my boss, Tim Appenzeller, riding the reporter horse again and delivering this history-altering scoop about Rosalind Franklin and her famous photo 51 that helped unravel DNA's structure and function. www.science.org/content/arti...

science.orgAfrica’s effort to make most of its own vaccines by 2040 faces significant headwindsCompanies striving to reduce continent’s reliance on foreign shots must overcome major financial and logistical challenges

bhekisisa.orgSA and Zambia’s HIV shot dilemma: Demand versus supply - BhekisisaEarly data shows South Africans and Zambians have a big appetite for the twice-yearly HIV prevention injection. But clinics don’t yet have enough doses for everyone who wants it. It’s a balancing act: how do you persuade people to want a new medicine when there isn’t enough of it to go around?

22 Aug

bhekisisa.org/special-repo... @idajooste.bsky.social and @bhekisisa.bsky.social are the cat’s meow.

science.orgFormer Fauci adviser pleads guilty to hiding COVID-19 communicationsDavid Morens awaits sentencing after admitting to trying to avoid Freedom of Information Act requests

19 Aug

www.science.org/content/arti... Note Kash Patel X link at end. Anyone know what, exactly, he is referring to here?

science.orgNIH lifts ban on funding research in South AfricaResearchers who study HIV, tuberculosis, and other infectious disease in the country welcome policy change

19 Aug

www.science.org/content/arti... Note additional graph at end with NIH response. Be interesting to hear responses to their provided statement from affected research groups?

science.orgThis drug could help end the HIV epidemic. Its rollout has hit speed bumpsOne shot of lenacapavir can protect for 6 months—but aid cuts and uncertain demand mean little drug has reached the countries that most need it

24 July

Many thanks to Pulitzer Center, once again, for supporting us on ambitious reporting projects. This is part of a series that's looking at the restructuring of global health architecture in the wake of cuts in foreign aid, primarily by the U.S. government. www.science.org/content/arti...

science.orgRocked by aid cuts, Malawi rethinks how it funds healthServices for mothers and children continue to suffer in the meantime

24 July

This is Catherine Offord's story that posted last week and is the part of the series. More to come. www.science.org/content/arti...

25 July

@pulitzercenter.org

9 June

John Powers III will replace Jeffrey Taubenberger as NIAID's acting director. Powers, an infectious disease specialist who focuses on antimicrobials, worked as a contractor for NIAID and was employed by Leidos Biomedical, which runs NCI at Frederick. Taubenberger will return to his lab.

4 June

science.orgNIH scientists criminally charged for bringing monkeypox virus into US, although samples “inactivated”Defendants face up to 5 years prison for alleged “smuggling” and “conspiracy”

1 June

science.orgDesperate to fight Ebola outbreak, Congo weighs using longshot vaccine optionsExisting vaccines may offer some protection against the rare strain now circulating—but the evidence is scant

28 May

science.orgNew drug ‘functionally cures’ many hepatitis B virus infectionsGSK’s “bepi” performs better than expected in efficacy trials, but its global impact is likely limited

21 May

science.orgHearing bombshell: Acting director of NIH’s infectious disease institute is outJeffery Taubenberger’s departure from a leadership position caps year of upheaval at National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

19 May

science.orgVaccine experts debate options to combat outbreak of unusual Ebola strainSmall monkey experiments raise some hopes—and many questions

19 May

science.orgScientists play catch-up to startling Ebola outbreakTesting, sequencing, and clinical trial efforts spring to life as Bundibugyo virus spreads

Jon Cohen reposted

Humberto Basilio

@humbertobasilio.bsky.social

18 May

An Ecuadorian biologist is accused of scientific misconduct, inflating species counts, mishandling animals, entering reserves without permission and potentially complicating the development of lifesaving snake antivenoms. For more than a year, I investigated him for @science.org:

science.orgDid this scientist go too far trying to save Ecuador’s wildlife?Alejandro Arteaga’s efforts to identify and protect tropical reptiles and amphibians have entangled him in controversy

Jon Cohen reposted

Big Picture Science

@bipisci.bsky.social

15 May

Recent news of a Hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship has some worrying that it could become the next pandemic. Journalist @cohenjon.bsky.social breaks down which viral offenders may spark the next worldwide contagion, and how ready we are to address it. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/pre...

From my book, Planning Miracles: How to Prevent Future Pandemics. We know how to make Ebola vaccines that are safe and effective. We could have had a Ebola Bundibugyo vaccine at the ready.

amazon.comPlanning Miracles: How to Prevent Future PandemicsPlanning Miracles: How to Prevent Future Pandemics [Cohen, Jon] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Planning Miracles: How to Prevent Future Pandemics

I have an entire chapter, At the Ready, that spells this out. The title of the book comes from the head of the March of Dimes, who said the Salk polio vaccine was a "planned miracle." www.amazon.com/gp/product/0...

And I quote Salk, later in his life, on this point: "I'm frequently asked, 'What is the next breakthrough going to be?' My response usually is, 'To use the knowledge we already possess.'"

science.orgBREAKING: WHO declares major outbreak of rare Ebola virus species an international emergencyNo vaccines or treatments exist for Ebola Bundibugyo, which has caused hundreds of suspected cases and 80 deaths in Congo and Uganda; WHO warns of

www.science.org/content/arti... Important story by @kakape.bsky.social

12 May

science.orgVirologist accused of starting COVID-19 will fight U.S. ban on fundingHHS memo says Ralph Baric had a “pattern of deception” in describing virus studies long before pandemic

Jon Cohen reposted

Kai Kupferschmidt

@kakape.bsky.social

8 May

After 15 years of reporting on infectious disease outbreaks, what continues to fascinate me about them is the challenge of making high-stakes decisions under uncertainty. The hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius is a perfect example My story in @science.org is here (and a thread to come): 🧪 #IDsky

science.orgWhat to do with the passengers on the cruise ship hit by hantavirus?Past studies of Andes virus offer scant evidence on transmission risks, and have sparked debate

8 May

science.orgTrump administration cuts CDC’s key role in global program to stop HIVState Department would send PEPFAR money directly to countries, which could then pay fees to health agency for help

7 May

science.orgCDC leader calls for new journal to ‘elevate scientific rigor’Bhattacharya publicly slams vaccine study he pulled from agency’s flagship publication

Jon Cohen reposted

Kai Kupferschmidt

@kakape.bsky.social

5 May

“You would hope that German officials would support scientists’ advice, but they have ignored it,” says one marine biologist who asked not to be identified because they feared repercussions. Must-read story by @martinenserink.bsky.social in @science.org. Feels like an encapsulation of our times 🧪

science.orgChaotic whale rescue shocks marine biologistsTimmy, a humpback whale stranded in Germany 6 weeks ago, was ailing and may already be dead

30 Apr

science.orgA novel gene-therapy approach to ‘functionally cure’ HIV succeeds in some monkeysSix animals suppressed AIDS virus after one shot of treatment that makes cell-receptor antibody

30 Apr

science.orgGuns and bulletproof vests: How federal agents arrested Fauci aideDavid Morens, 78, was stripped and handcuffed for email violations

28 Apr

science.orgFauci aide indicted over federal records violations related to COVID-19David Morens faces decades in prison for allegedly concealing back-channel efforts to help nonprofit accused of starting pandemic

28 Apr

science.orgHow an HIV/AIDS tragedy spurred human evolutionBefore antiretroviral drugs reached South Africa, high death toll shaped immune system genes

24 Apr

science.orgAfter pulling vaccine study, Bhattacharya criticizes long-running CDC publicationAgency’s temporary director says Mortality and Morbidity Weekly Report needs external reviewers

17 Apr

science.orgScience | AAAS

14 Apr

science.orgRollout of powerful new HIV prevention tool in lower income countries gets a boostGlobal Fund and U.S. government plan to make injectable lenacapavir available to 3 million people by 2028

Jon Cohen reposted

Infectious Diseases

@infectiousdz.bsky.social

10 Apr

Loreen Willenberg has died, but not from HIV. She was diagnosed with HIV in 1992, and then, "unlike almost all people living with HIV, was able to keep her virus undetectable and immune cell count high without ever taking antiretroviral therapy." www.amfar.org/news/remembe...

amfar.orgamfar.org

Jon Cohen@cohenjon.bsky.social

"Just remember this: If my purpose is to shine that beacon of hope, then by God, I'm happy to do that," says Loreen Willenberg. Strong evidence suggests she naturally cured HIV infection--and she's now beating lung and brain cancer. www.science.org/content/arti...

science.org‘Something remarkable has happened’: Cancer treatments bolster evidence of a natural HIV cureIn exclusive chat with Science, Loreen Willenberg describes remaining HIV-free even after immune-suppressing therapies for brain and lung tumors

10 Apr

science.orgWhat plunged these chimps into civil war? A new study traces the breakdownDecades of observations tracked the fraying of once-friendly relations among Ugandan chimpanzees

Jon Cohen reposted

Tom Peacock

@peacockflu.bsky.social

6 Apr

Really excited to be able to share our latest preprint, describing how during its evolution in cattle, H5N1 has got better at using a type of alternative receptor that's abundant in cows, but not found in humans and birds. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

science.orgSlasher sequel: Trump again proposes major cuts to U.S. science spendingScience advocates urge Congress to reject 2027 budget plan

3 Apr

President's FY'27 budget proposal explained. There's a fantasy aspect to the exercise, as last year demonstrated when Congress pushed back hard, preserving most science funding Trump wanted to cut. But it does reveal the president's dreams. www.science.org/content/arti...

31 Mar

science.orgIs Trump killing the heralded U.S. effort to help the world battle HIV?The Department of State hasn’t given the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention all the money it needs to keep vital AIDS relief programs operating

science.orgTwo years after it emerged, ‘cow flu’ is still circulating—and baffling scientistsResearchers still aren’t sure how H5N1 influenza spreads between cows and from farm to farm

27 Mar

H5N1 in dairy cows largely has disappeared from the news--a reflection of steeply declining detections. But it continues to circulate on dairies, and researchers continue to debate critical questions about how the virus moves between farms and within herds. www.science.org/content/arti...

science.orgA forgotten social media post may hold key clues to COVID-19’s originAnalysis of Wuhan market map suggests China has not disclosed some of the earliest infections in animals and people

16 Mar

A ludicrous theory posted on WeChat by "Kunlun Sword" in 2021 asserted that Maine lobsters sparked the COVID pandemic. Evobiologist Flo Débarre now has found clues in the post that suggest China has withheld evidence about early infected humans and animals. www.science.org/content/arti...

science.orgNew HIV cure approach forces hidden virus into tripping immune sensorStrategy gains momentum after promising results in cell studies and infected people

5 Mar

An obstacle to an HIV cure is that the viral protease enzyme is like a jewel thief that dodges laser sensors, which, when tripped, cause death of infected cells. Drugs can force protease to stand up, potentially reducing reservoirs of latently infected cells. www.science.org/content/arti...

statnews.comA titan of vaccine development sees his field’s achievements slip awayStanley Plotkin, the 93-year-old "godfather of vaccines," is watching his field’s achievements slip away.

2 Mar

@helenbranswell.bsky.social celebrates the one-and-only Stanley Plotkin, godfather of vaccines, wise elder, spark plug that's still firing. www.statnews.com/2026/03/02/s...