Jonathan Lambert

I traveled to Senegal to see how aid cuts are imperiling efforts to bring malnutrition treatment to kids. Mothers whose kids had been improving told me of relapsing, as clinics often have nothing to give. "Whenever your child is suffering, you suffer with them." www.npr.org/2026/06/13/n...

Tyler Cowen interviews OSTP Director Michael Kratsios. A few points of the conversation worth highlighting:

First case of Ebola in Nigeria, reportedly from someone who'd traveled from Uganda, a country that had been declared Ebola-free in late August... apnews.com/article/nige...

New from me for @grist.org: Brazil's election could determine the fate of the Amazon. Lula faces Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, who led the round one vote by 2.2 million votes. Climate and forest scientists argue the Oct 25 second round could decide whether the rainforest breaches a tipping point. (1/n)

This👇 is such a good example of how on top of her game Helen was. While she was keeping us all updated on Ebola, MERS, flu, and so many of all the other infectious diseases out there, she immediately grasped the gravity of the first warning sign of what we now remember as SARS-CoV-2 / COVID-19.

Such a tremendous loss. She churned out such sharp and insightful health and science stories. I will miss hearing her questions on press calls, she always asked the best ones.

The WHO adopted the pandemic agreement over a year ago, but it's still not in effect because countries can't agree on the most contentious part — how to share pathogen data, and the fruits of those data like vaccines. My deep dive into the negotiations: www.npr.org/2026/09/25/g...

People are using AI to impersonate real science journalists. And one even got PUBLISHED. In Science. www.linkedin.com/posts/caroli...

"For many U.S. scientists funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the agency they know and loved died on 10 September."

Since 2008, air pollution monitors at US embassies helped drive down smog in many cities around the globe. In 2025, the Trump administration ended that program. Months later, air pollution in many cities went up, according to a new study. www.npr.org/2026/09/15/n...

HHS is canceling infant mortality and postpartum grants to focus instead on research related to what the department says are “root causes” like sperm counts and erectile dysfunction. https://www.notus.org/health-science/hhs-cancels-infant-mortality-postpartum-grants-focus-infertility

I wrote about what's happening to the Academy of Natural Sciences Museum in Philadelphia defector.com/how-the-u-s-...

I'm not going to devote too much time on the whole "White House Arcade" website because it feels a bit passé, given their propensity for these stunts. But my bosses asked me if I thought it was vibe coded and here's what I found.

Feeling very honored and grateful today. Some of the journalists whose work I admire most have received this prize in the past and at a time when journalism is under threat in so many ways it’s just really heartening to be recognized by people who care deeply about journalism.

Interior has reassigned ~30 of its most senior career staffers. Among those losing their longtime positions? The woman who directed the National Wildlife Refuge System for the last 10 years, and the man who ran the migratory bird program for the last 15.

OMB's proposal to remake federal grantmaking was flooded with comments Now, they are withdrawing some from the public record — including some that point out Russell Vought's connection to the federally funded research that led to Trikafta www.statnews.com/2026/08/25/r...

Some news from Africa CDC. Jean Kaseya says they're going forward with clinical trials testing an existing Ebola vaccine, which targets the Zaire species. There's debate on whether this will work against Bundibugyo, but with so large an outbreak, they may be thinking any help is worth trying.

Seeing more PR emails that clearly use AI to "personalize" pitches. Fills me with a deep loathing.

The America First Global Health strategy is very focused on American-made, tech-forward solutions like drones. Drones can deliver lifesaving supplies in hard-to-reach places, but they can't replace the people and systems sapped by aid cuts. By Fatma Tanis: www.npr.org/2026/08/04/g...

Ebola may have been spreading for months in the DRC before anyone recognized it. A new reconstruction suggests the outbreak was already widespread in the gold-mining town of Mongbwalu by January. It wasn’t officially declared until 15 May. Why did no-one raise the alarm? My story for @science.org 🧪

Fauci is declining to answer any questions from Senator Paul at the hearing, invoking his 5th amendment rights. He says he's answered all these questions repeatedly in previous hearings. Paul keeps asking questions, Fauci keeps invoking his 5th amendment rights.

This is such a devastating and infuriating story.

To get slightly ahead of the virus, health officials need to quickly identify people at risk of infection, a practice known as contact tracing. That's a challenge in the Democratic Republic of Congo. n.pr/4x3HuKd

The Ebola outbreak in DRC just passed a grim milestone — 1,000 deaths. More than two months into the epidemic, health officials are struggling to keep up. Too much transmission is happening outside the view of contact tracers, and too many patients aren't getting care. www.npr.org/2026/07/23/g...

Both Marco Rubio and Elon Musk, who led the effort to sunset the foreign aid agency, have said that no deaths have been linked to the cutting of its funding. These parents tell a different story. n.pr/4fFJzG7

i talked to several pollution + health experts about the wildfire smoke blanketing much of the northeast right now, and everyone agreed that even able-bodied adults may want to take some precautions today!!

New: An analysis of a huge wave of public comments on a White House proposal to change federal grant-making found that about 95% were posted in opposition. Via @aniloza.bsky.social @jaspar.bsky.social www.statnews.com/2026/07/15/t...

"It changed my life." How putting fish on rice farms can prevent a debilitating disease, boost rice yields and improve livelihoods. My story from Senegal is now out in radio — take a listen! www.npr.org/2026/07/12/n...

“The wilderness has about 1,900 campsites that need to be checked” and it sounds like there are only eight “firefighter-qualified rangers” working in pairs to do the sweeps. Superior National Forest lost 100 of its 350 employees in the DOGE cuts. www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...

"It changed my life." How putting fish on rice farms can prevent a debilitating disease, boost rice yields and improve livelihoods. My story from Senegal is now out in radio — take a listen! www.npr.org/2026/07/12/n...

President Trump reduced the size of two national monuments in Utah, teeing up a legal battle over presidential powers.

Farmers in Senegal are welcoming fish into their rice paddies. The hope is they'll fertilize the crop, be a source of food ... and eat the snails that carry parasitic worms.

Can putting fish on rice farms help reduce a debilitating disease, boost food security and reduce poverty? I went to Senegal earlier this year to find out. www.npr.org/2026/07/12/n...

Can putting fish on rice farms help reduce a debilitating disease, boost food security and reduce poverty? I went to Senegal earlier this year to find out. www.npr.org/2026/07/12/n...

The Office of Management and Budget is proposing to put politicians instead of scientists in charge of scientific funding. The move could stifle research that doesn't fit the President's agenda. Other countries have tried similar things. My story on one attempt: www.sciencenews.org/article/omb-...

Trump Cuts Habitat Protections for Endangered Species "Cuts" is a massive understatement. "Under the rule, destroying an endangered species’ nest or habitat would no longer be considered illegal." www.nytimes.com/2026/07/10/c...

My latest feature @thesicktimes.org: Wastewater surveillance in the U.S. urgently needs more funding. Public health organizations are calling for Congress to fund the CDC’s program in its 2027 budget, while state health departments plan ahead for potential gaps in grants.

You may have heard about the OMB rule change that will put politics over federal grants. However bad you think it is? It's probably worse. Thanks to @theverge.com for letting me report this one out. There is still time to comment. bit.ly/4v2X4nQ

NIH grants have been under political scrutiny since early 2025. But what does the screening process actually look like? What is being flagged? I spent a month digging into leaked docs and emails. We've published the 235-word list that are being flagged by an internal AI tool. And so much more. 🧵

Well would you! defector.com/would-you-ea...

Two researchers — one in Massachusetts and one in Shanghai — hoped for the same breakthrough: a gene therapy for deaf children. New Chinese investment in science propelled the one who got there first. n.pr/4weVi49

Scoop with @mercohn.bsky.social: Johns Hopkins University is laying off more than 100 employees in the Bloomberg School of Public Health, the Carey Business School and central administration. Hopkins is suffering "debilitating" decreases in federal research funding www.thebanner.com/education/hi...

📣 BIG NEWS! 📣 We're re-launching bioGraphic as a completely independent nonprofit! As we make this transition, we're taking a publishing (and social media) break in July and August. Then we'll be back with more inspiring, paywall-free journalism about the natural world. More details below 👇

Scientific American is being sold to LabX Media, publisher of Discover: group.springernature.com/gp/group/med... They've fired me and other union staff, ahead of June 26 vote ratification. My rates are suddenly more reasonable, if you need editing or reporting - Argonaut2026@gmail.com

Been wondering why NSF isn't spending most of its FY26 appropriation? A $1.5B tech initiative may be the reason. And big cuts to hundreds of research programs could be just the beginning of the bad news. www.science.org/content/arti...

More than a year after USAID was thrown "into the woodchipper" there are shortages of lifesaving malnutrition treatment at clinics across Senegal. Community health workers told me that mothers often blame staff. "They think we are deceiving them ... It really hurts" www.npr.org/2026/06/13/n...

My first long radio story for NPR -- give it a listen!