mmolteni.bsky.social profile picture

Megan Molteni

@mmolteni.bsky.social

1663 Followers

353 Following

Writing about CRISPR, synthetic bio, reprotech and neuroscience for @statnews. Ex-WIRED. Berkeley journalism alum.

Signal: mmolteni.13 ✉️ megan.molteni@statnews.com https://www.statnews.com/

  1. helenbranswell.bsky.social profile picture

    Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 @helenbranswell.bsky.social

    #NIH director Jay Bhattacharya says the #BARDA mRNA contracts were terminated because the platform isn't viable because people don't trust it. Experts question some of the claims Bhattacharya made. www.statnews.com/2025/08/11/m...

    NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya offered an explanation for the cancellation of mRNA vaccine contracts that didn't align with that of his boss, health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

    NIH director: mRNA vaccine contracts were canceled because public lacks trust in technology

    NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya offered an explanation for the cancellation of mRNA vaccine contracts that didn't align with that of his boss, health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
    23
  2. thedextriarchy.bsky.social profile picture

    Adi Robertson @thedextriarchy.bsky.social

    I've been dreading this turn for months — the war over AI scraping data is undercutting a load-bearing part of the internet, and it will probably only get worse.

    4
  7. mmolteni.bsky.social profile picture

    Megan Molteni @mmolteni.bsky.social

    A big way the federal government sets policies in health and science is through the giving of grants. Traditionally, those decisions have been made on the basis of peer review by experts. Trump's new EO puts those powers in the hands of political appointees.

    www.statnews.com/2025/08/08/t...

    A sweeping new executive order seeks to transform how the federal government awards billions of dollars in research grants

    Trump executive order seeks to centralize control of grantmaking under political appointees

    A sweeping new executive order seeks to transform how the federal government awards billions of dollars in research grants
    1
  8. voxmediaunion.bsky.social profile picture

    Vox Media Union @voxmediaunion.bsky.social

    Vox Media Union statement on today's devastating round of layoffs at Eater. We stand with all of our wonderful colleagues. #solidarityforever #unionstrong #1u

    Eater layoffs statement Today, 15 members of the Vox Media Union working at Eater were notified without warning that their jobs were being eliminated as part of a major restructuring of the 20-year-old brand. This was especially shocking considering that Vox Media CEO Jim Bankoff told Puck’s Dylan Byers just last week that he did not anticipate any impending layoffs at the company. But, of course, we’ve learned that we cannot trust Jim Bankoff’s word when it comes to layoffs. This is the second major round of layoffs at Eater this year, following a round earlier this year that decimated Eater’s award-winning cities network. To be abundantly clear: these layoffs are a gut-job, one that eliminates roughly a third of Eater’s union jobs. It is also a cowardly capitulation to the fallacious insistence that generative AI is the future of search and publishing. We are devastated that our colleagues have lost their jobs, and we are deeply worried about the future sustainability of Eater without them. Eater is currently in the midst of celebrating its 20th anniversary, and right now, there is not much to celebrate. We will have more information forthcoming about ways to support our laid-off colleagues in the coming days. Solidarity forever, The Vox Media Union Committees
    9
  9. monscience.bsky.social profile picture

    Nsikan Akpan @monscience.bsky.social

    After RFK canceled grants for mRNA vaccines against infectious diseases, I wondered what the future could hold for mRNA cancer vaccines.

    I'm glad @angusrohan.bsky.social, @mmolteni.bsky.social, and @marissa-russo.bsky.social looked into it. www.statnews.com/2025/08/07/m...

    Cancer vaccines in development rely on mRNA technology under attack by RFK Jr. “I am concerned that this could bleed over," an oncologist says.

    As mRNA falls out of favor for HHS, are cancer vaccines next?

    Cancer vaccines in development rely on mRNA technology under attack by RFK Jr. “I am concerned that this could bleed over," an oncologist says.
    2