Nat Lash

Nat Lash

@natlash.bsky.social

Reporter and developer on ProPublica’s news applications team. Tracking disease on the molecular level 🧬 and land use from outer space 🛰️ NathanielLash.com

6.4K followers361 following151 posts

Nat Lash reposted

Carl Zimmer
@carlzimmer.com

Meanwhile in Utah: Bird Flu Is Raging on a Mink Farm. It Could Spark a Human Pandemic, Experts Say, but Officials Won’t Act. www.propublica.org/article/bird...

propublica.orgBird Flu Is Raging on a Mink Farm. It Could Spark a Human Pandemic, Experts Say, but Officials Won’t Act.Federal officials brushed off the issue as Utah prioritized the fur industry’s interests. Little has been done to stop the spread of the virus and ensure it can’t spread to humans, a failure that expe...

Nat Lash reposted

Thijs Kuiken
@thijskuiken.bsky.social

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (bird flu) on a mink farm in Utah, US. Interesting comment by mink farm owner: "The mink are routinely fed raw organs of livestock, including cows [bird flu also occurs in dairy cows in the US]." See also recent opinion paper: www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

ProPublica@propublica.org

NEW: A bird flu outbreak has been raging uncontrolled on a Utah mink farm for two months. Flu experts fear it could spark a devastating human pandemic. But officials haven’t acted — instead prioritizing the financial interests of the fur trade.

propublica.orgBird Flu Is Raging on a Mink Farm. It Could Spark a Human Pandemic, Experts Say, but Officials Won’t Act.Federal officials brushed off the issue as Utah prioritized the fur industry’s interests. Little has been done to stop the spread of the virus and ensure it can’t spread to humans, a failure that expe...
Nat Lash
@natlash.bsky.social

The daily experience of having to pull a stroller backwards through crosswalks when one lane of traffic stops. Inevitably at least one driver behind them can‘t fathom why the cars in front of them are stopped, so they whip through the second lane. Can’t push a stroller into that blind spot.

Sarah Karlin-Smith@sarahkarlin-smith.bsky.social

In the mornings we put our bodies between the children and the cars. Between the drives of these cars, who see these tiny people not as the beautiful young souls they are, but as obstacles in their way. Some of the children are our flesh and blood, but all of them are OURs.

Nat Lash
@natlash.bsky.social

“Treatment is simple. The great NSAID ibuprofen is in town tonight.” ** bursts into tears **

Emily Moin@emilymoin.com

*stroking my chin* yes, ibuprofen causes arthritis, makes sense

Nat Lash
@natlash.bsky.social

If you're curious about the sorts of evidence they'll be looking at, you might want to take a gander at our analysis of the genomic links between the first cases in Texas to the cases in Utah a year and a half later. projects.propublica.org/measles-outb...

projects.propublica.orgWhat ProPublica Found in the Genetic Code of America’s Measles Outbreaks — ProPublicaThe U.S. eliminated measles a quarter century ago, but to keep its “measles-free” designation, officials will have to make a strong case that measles is not continuously spreading within its borders. ...
Nat Lash
@natlash.bsky.social

For some reason this photo breaks me a little.

Annie Waldman@anniewaldman.bsky.social

But after Brooklyn drank raw milk for six months, it all began to unravel. Vomit that turned bilious yellow, then a tarry blackish-green. Bloodwork that so alarmed ER doctors they called for transport to a pediatric ICU 70 miles away.

Nat Lash reposted

Annie Waldman
@anniewaldman.bsky.social

NEW: As Trump’s White House and influencers keep touting the unproven benefits of raw milk, hundreds across the country are falling ill from outbreaks. Some people get severe indigestion. And some nearly die. Here's the story of one toddler who drank it. 🧵👇 www.propublica.org/article/cali...

propublica.orgA Girl Nearly Died After Drinking Raw Milk. The State Did Little to Punish the Unlicensed Farmer Who Sold It.California is teeming with black-market dairies, propped up by consumer demand fueled by misinformation. With evidence against one raw goat milk farm, regulators could have sought punitive action. But...
Nat Lash
@natlash.bsky.social

In my core I know that just because music is made of sounds, sounds are not music. But the pressure to believe the opposite — that words make writing, pixels make a picture, a list of notes makes thinking — is inescapable today. Of course we all feel like we're losing our goddamn minds.

The Husband of Frankenstein 🧠@hessephillips.com

The saddest, emptiest, most miserable wretches ever to crawl the face of the earth are now trying to convince us that music is a "problem" that must be "solved."

Nat Lash
@natlash.bsky.social

This is exactly what they said would happen in that one song

Stereogum@stereogum.com

Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, has kicked Muse off their longtime social media handles. Yesterday the company launched a new AI product, which is also called Muse, and now the band has been relegated to “@museband.” stereogum.com/2510793/meta...

Nat Lash
@natlash.bsky.social

Fresh language in today's CDC measles update. The asterisk for deaths this year stands, and establishes new goalposts: "*The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) does not currently have any death records from 2026 that indicate measles is the underlying cause." www.cdc.gov/measles/data...

Nat Lash
@natlash.bsky.social

CDC/FDA still report 345 cases related to this tainted jalapeño outbreak. Meanwhile, the cluster of Salmonella Javiana isolates is up to 447. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pathogens/tr...

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Isolates SNP Tree Viewer - Pathogen Detection - NCBI Isolates SNP Tree Viewer
Nat Lash@natlash.bsky.social

Some of the latest samples in the cluster were collected weeks ago, so expect this count to grow just based on the reporting lag. The last update from FDA (Aug 5) regarding Salmonella Javiana outbreak is 345 cases: www.fda.gov/food/outbrea...

fda.govOutbreak Investigation of Salmonella: Jalapeño (August 2026)Do not eat, serve, or sell recalled fresh jalapeños from Sinaloa, Mexico distributed by Coast Citrus Distributors. FDA’s investigation is ongoing.
Nat Lash
@natlash.bsky.social

Oof

Brian Wasik@brianrwasik.bsky.social

The entire premise of "proteins may exhibit even stronger receptor-binding affinity and thus enhanced infection potential" is a fundamental conceptual misunderstanding.

Nat Lash
@natlash.bsky.social

🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

ProPublica Guild@propublicaguild.org

🚨 WE HAVE A DEAL! After three years, in a major step forward for our members, we have ratified our first contract with @propublica.org’s management. We deeply appreciate everyone who supported us along the way. Here are some of our big wins👇

Nat Lash
@natlash.bsky.social

This is really important work -- the genetic diversity seen so far suggested a start of the Ebola outbreak around mid-March. But the epi turned up hundreds of Ebola-like cases going back as far as January. www.science.org/content/arti...

Kai Kupferschmidt@kakape.bsky.social

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 🧪

science.orgEXCLUSIVE: Congo’s Ebola epidemic started at least 4 months before it was detectedA remote mining town gripped by fear saw hundreds of suspected cases before the government declared an outbreak, report says
Nat Lash
@natlash.bsky.social

Okay but actually this is a great premise for a roguelite

Casey Newton@caseynewton.bsky.social

Rogue OpenAI agents are leaving notes to themselves on company servers to help them escape their test environments (!!!) www.reuters.com/business/its...

Nat Lash
@natlash.bsky.social

Good ol’ O157:H7 cheese

Annie Waldman@anniewaldman.bsky.social

On my tour of his farm, McAfee showed me his pathogen laboratory, where he says he tests every batch of raw milk. "We catch these things and divert the milk immediately." I assumed that after diverting batches, the farm discarded them. Later that day, I learned otherwise.

Nat Lash reposted

Lisa Song
@lisalsong.bsky.social

Drop everything and read Annie's story. I've been looking forward to this since she started reporting on it. Among other things, I've started scrutinizing the cheese at grocery stores to make sure everything I buy is made from pasteurized milk!

Annie Waldman@anniewaldman.bsky.social

I would later find out that the federal government *knew* his farm was doing this. The FDA discovered the farm had a “standard practice” of producing cheese from milk suspected or known to contain pathogens, according to court documents. They told it to stop. That was two years ago.

Nat Lash
@natlash.bsky.social

Appreciate the write-up from the folks at CIDRAP on what our analysis of measles virus genome sequences says about the U.S. elimination status

CIDRAP@cidrap.bsky.social

Quick takes: -Second New World Screwworm (NWS) case in Texas -US measles elimination status in doubt -Polio in 3 African countries Read more: ow.ly/Pp5250Z8YMm.

ow.lyQuick takes: Second NWS case in Texas, US measles elimination status in doubt, polio in 3 African countriesThe second case of New World Screwworm in Texas was found just 5 miles from the first.
Nat Lash
@natlash.bsky.social

The masses were clamoring for more molecular epidemiology for investigative journalism

Charles Ornstein@charlesornstein.bsky.social

ProPublica analyzed the genetic code of America’s measles outbreaks and here’s what we found: The measles virus still spreading in Utah as of this May is very closely related to the one that sickened Texans over a year ago. @natlash.bsky.social @sheinvestigates.bsky.social

projects.propublica.orgWhat ProPublica Found in the Genetic Code of America’s Measles Outbreaks — ProPublicaThe U.S. eliminated measles a quarter century ago, but to keep its “measles-free” designation, officials will have to make a strong case that measles is not continuously spreading within its borders. ...
Nat Lash
@natlash.bsky.social

Oof, after just a month of no detections, HPAI is back in the Amish duck-farming region in Northern Indiana. 5 cases reported since May 4, mostly on duck farms. Remind me how this was addressed in another densely duck-farmed region hit by constant waves of H5 2.3.4.4b? www.in.gov/boah/species...

Nat Lash reposted

Jennifer Nuzzo, DrPH, SM
@jennifernuzzo.bsky.social

I'm not particularly worried there will be much onward spread of hantavirus from M/V Hondius passengers. But I am concerned that authorities are making confident statements based on VERY LIMITED data. IMO, there's too little data to say need symptoms to transmit or need close, prolonged contact.