Hilda Bastian

Scientist (PhD; she/her), writer, cartoonist. 🦘 I blog about metascience, science history, epidemiology, grief, social media data, & evidence generally. Following and reporting on next generation Covid vaccines. And I write at The Atlantic sometimes. Newsletter: Living With Evidence https://hildabastian.wordpress.com/

#MetaScience #SystematicReviews #Epidemiology #ClinicalTrials #Grief #Vaccines #Wikipedia #History #HistSci #Science #OpenScience #OpenSocialWeb

Living With Evidence (via Mastodon follow): Living With Evidence (npub1hc5…wv4r)
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Published at

2026-05-17T00:44:11Z

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Last Notes

2026-04-30 08:13:56 UTC

It was a slow month for next generation Covid vaccine results reporting, but a big month for clinical trial news:
- A new clinical trial for intranasal and inhaled versions of a vax is on the starting blocks in the US;
- Another intranasal vax trial has expanded to another 2 cities in the US; and
- A trial for a "variant-proof" vax going into phase 2a trial in Germany.
Plus some preclinical reports & more in my latest monthly update @npub1cgw…rh79
https://absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2026/04/30/another-intranasal-covid-vaccine-starting-in-the-us-nextgen-vax-monthly-update/
#Vaccines #Covid #Covid19

2026-04-03 04:38:43 UTC

New feature on next generation Covid vax: Which vaccines are advancing the most?
I highlight 3 in mid- to late-stage trials, with manufacturing partners/plans—including a "universal" Covid vax & a mucosal one—and another 6 vaccines.
Plus more clinical trial results & 10 new preclinical reports.
Now @npub1cgw…rh79
https://absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2026/04/02/accelerating-development-for-some-nextgen-covid-vaxes-update-no-39/
#Vaccines #Covid #Covid19

2026-03-31 20:01:35 UTC

My darling son Adam would have been 43 today. Cherishing memories of hanging out with him—here in 2012. ❤️
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/116/325/538/425/229/451/original/51c5faed0034e524.jpg
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/116/325/544/904/610/509/original/bbc9bd6ecae60a5c.jpeg

2026-03-01 09:03:49 UTC

News-packed update on nextgen Covid vaccines this month at my @npub1cgw…rh79 blog:
- Phase 2 results for a self-amplifying mRNA vaccine from Japan with a phase 3 trial recently closed off
- Preclinical results for an intranasal "universal" vaccine that provided some protection from coronaviruses, H1N1 flu, some bacterial infections, and an asthma allergen
- Opportunities to participate in intranasal vaccine trials in Finland and the US
And much more:
https://absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2026/03/01/progress-for-universal-vaccine-more-nextgen-covid-vax-news-update-no-38/
#Vaccines #Covid #Covid19

2026-02-20 05:27:53 UTC

For #BlackHistoryMonth, I've written about a remarkable woman who blew me away. Meet Dr Catharine Deaver Lealtad (1895-1989) in my new post @npub1cgw…rh79 1/2
https://absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2026/02/20/dr-catharine-d-lealtad-1895-1989-an-outspoken-life-of-humanitarian-action/
#BHM

2026-02-13 04:34:53 UTC

My best photo yet of a native Blue-Banded Bee! 😍 😍 😍 It doesn't do the brilliance of the blue justice, though.
They are buzz pollinators, so as usual, I heard it before I saw it. (Buzz pollinators shake the pollen off by vibrating — it's a loud buzz!)
More about them here: https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/blogs/creatura-with-bec-crew/2014/09/blue-banded-bee-a-native-beauty/
#WildOz #Bees
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/116/061/428/022/155/759/original/8c2da74e7b56d13c.jpg

2026-02-09 08:05:59 UTC

Cartoonists Keep Meeting the Moment
So many people in a position to do something are failing us, when it matters the most. The disappointments in cultural and political leadership just keep rolling in. Some parts of the culture keep meeting the moment, though—including many prominent political cartoonists. The assignment is to speak truth to power, and it takes an enormous amount of courage: Stepping on a…
https://hildabastian.wordpress.com/2026/02/09/cartoonists-keep-meeting-the-moment/

2026-01-31 05:21:16 UTC

Another vaccine approval and more in my latest next generation Covid vax update:
- Self-amplifying mRNA vax Kostaive approved in the UK
- New trial for a mucosal vax on the starting blocks in Finland
- Some results from AstraZeneca phase 1 trial for mRNA vax
- 11 preclinical reports, including 2 for mucosal pancoronavirus vaccines
https://absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2026/01/31/another-approval-and-more-nextgen-covid-vax-news-update-no-37/
#Vaccines #Covid #Covid19

2026-01-01 04:25:51 UTC

A major milestone for next generation Covid vax: The first clinical trial for a pancoronavirus formulation of an existing vaccine was registered.
There are more clinical trial results for a vax for people with immunocompromise, & news on mucosal vax trials. Plus 12 preclinical reports.
In my monthly update @npub1cgw…rh79
https://absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2025/12/31/major-milestone-for-pancoronavirus-vaccines-and-more-next-generation-covid-vax-update-no-36/
#Vaccines #Covid #Covid19

2025-11-30 05:30:39 UTC

More progress internationally on next generation Covid vaccines – with a setback in the US:
- More good news on the vaccine for people with immunosuppression
- Progress in intranasal vaccine trials in France & the US
- Approval application for first nextgen vaccine in the US shelved because of new regulations
Plus clinical & preclinical results in my update this month @npub1cgw…rh79 now online https://absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2025/11/30/more-progress-on-next-generation-covid-vaccines-and-a-setback-in-the-us-update-no-35/
#Vaccines #Covid #Covid19

2025-11-12 07:37:57 UTC

A Bumper Month for Covid Vaccines and More
It's been an eventful few weeks for Covid vaccines – mostly good, some very bad. Let's start with the good news. Novavax has transferred marketing of its protein subunit Covid vaccine in the EU and US to a major pharmaceutical company, Sanofi. Here's hoping that leads to wider availability and economies of scale. Sanofi will also be able to use Novavax's patented adjuvant in new vaccines.
https://hildabastian.wordpress.com/2025/11/12/a-bumper-month-for-covid-vaccines-and-more/

2025-11-06 22:47:21 UTC

My latest update on nextgen Covid vaccines is a whopper, in part thanks to catching up with a new vax tracker:
- Clinical trial results for 2 vaxes
- 3 new clinical trials, incl a phase 2 intranasal vax trial in the US – and a pancoronavirus version of a vaccine that's already been rolled out
- 26 preclinical reports, with more showing prevention of transmission &/or durability
- a shelf-stable mucosal vax
Now @npub1cgw…rh79 https://absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2025/11/06/a-bumper-update-on-next-generation-covid-vaccines-no-34/
#Covid #Covid19 #Vaccines

2025-10-30 09:55:57 UTC

Have you been noticing the flurries of new or returning people leaving Bluesky due to recent controversies?
It got me thinking about how a real Bluesky exodus would play out, and digging into the studies of the 2022 Mastodon migration from Twitter. I found 14 studies. TLDR; a Bluesky flight would be different.
Here's my new post @npub1cgw…rh79 :
https://absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2025/10/30/a-mastodon-migration-from-bluesky-would-be-different/

2025-10-01 07:19:29 UTC

A big month for progress on mucosal Covid vaccines!
- A 35th mucosal vax in clinical trial
- Encouraging preclinical results for intranasal self-amplifying mRNA vax from Spain
- News on progress with the Covid infection studies laying the groundwork for testing mucosal vax in human challenge studies
Plus more clinical results for self-amplifying mRNA vax & fascinating pandemic preparedness news from Singapore
Nextgen Covid vax update @npub1cgw…rh79 https://absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2025/09/30/the-35th-mucosal-covid-vaccine-in-clinical-trial-an-intranasal-self-amplifying-mrna-vax-and-more-nextgen-vaccine-update-33/
#Covid #Covid19 #Vaccines

2025-09-21 07:43:05 UTC

Want to be able to start micro-editing on Wikipedia in a few minutes – and know why you could be very glad you did? Then my new post @npub1cgw…rh79 is just what you need!
https://absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2025/09/21/wikipedia-is-vital-channeling-energy-into-micro-edits-is-a-win-win-win/
#Wikipedia

2025-09-19 21:51:19 UTC

The Onion: "Fearful Americans Stockpiling Facts Before Federal Government Comes To Take Them Away".
https://theonion.com/fearful-americans-stockpiling-facts-before-federal-gove-1819579589/

2025-09-08 08:09:51 UTC

Fiona Godlee, former Editor in Chief of the BMJ, is one of the protesters arrested in London. ✊ She was holding a sign reading: "I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action."
https://www.bmj.com/content/390/bmj.r1877

2025-08-31 08:37:21 UTC

My next generation Covid vaccine update this month includes a surprise new phase 1 trial funded by US Project NextGen, & some trial results.
Plus 10 new preclinical reports, mostly for mucosal vaccines.
Now out @npub1cgw…rh79 : https://absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2025/08/31/more-new-covid-vaccine-candidates-trials-and-preclinical-studies-nextgen-update-32/
#Covid #Covid19 #Vaccines

2025-08-28 09:05:00 UTC

- reply

...Paisano grew up on the Nez Perce reservation in Idaho in the 1950s, steeped in tradition. While a student at the University of Washington in Seattle, she participated in the protest occupation of Fort Lawton, & was briefly imprisoned.
She went on to dramatically improve the representation of First Nations Americans in the US Census: A stunning & vitally important achievement.
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/115/105/584/494/091/714/original/b5848ade4eba7c6d.png
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/115/105/587/899/543/654/original/42b1a1e2313d96a6.jpg

2025-08-28 09:03:08 UTC

With federal workers, equity, & government statistics under attack, my latest post @npub1cgw…rh79 is a tribute to a transformative First Nations statistician at the US Census Bureau, Edna Paisano (1948-2014):
https://absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2025/08/28/equity-in-first-nations-census-data-a-tribute-to-edna-paisano-1948-2014/ ...1/2
#WomenInSTEM #Statistics

2025-07-30 08:43:29 UTC

This month's next generation Covid vaccine update includes first clinical trial results for 2 mucosal vaccines – both based on viral vectors.
One is AeroVax, an inhaled vaccine from McMaster Uni in Canada. The other is an intranasal vax from CyanVac in the US.
In other news, it looks like several of the Project NextGen-funded trials are going ahead.
Now online @npub1cgw…rh79
https://absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2025/07/30/more-clinical-trial-results-for-mucosal-covid-vaccines-nextgen-vax-update-31/
#Covid19 #Covid #Vaccines

2025-07-25 13:02:47 UTC

My rapid response at BMJ is online now. I joined the chorus of protest about an opinion piece claiming people with severe ME/CFS can recover by "reframing their beliefs" &c. People with ME/CFS deserve so much better than that:
https://www.bmj.com/content/389/bmj.r977/rr-30
#MECFS

2025-07-01 06:37:18 UTC

A big first for next generation Covid vax! A manufacturer is accelerating a "universal coronavirus vaccine." It's set to be the first pancoronavirus vax going into phase 2 trial – & a mucosal form might be developed, too.
More in my latest Covid vax update @npub1cgw…rh79
https://absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2025/06/30/a-universal-coronavirus-vaccine-pushing-forward-nextgen-covid-vax-update-30/
#Vaccines #Covid #Covid1

2025-06-27 06:42:53 UTC

I've been diving into the evidence on Covid vaccination in pregnancy, & sorting through misinformation – including the claim that Pfizer never reported on its pregnancy trial. And I ended up relieved!
Check out results of studies in more than 1.5 million vaccinated pregnant participants in my latest @npub1cgw…rh79 https://absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2025/06/27/digging-into-the-evidence-on-covid-vaccines-in-pregnancy/
#Vaccines #Covid #Covid19

2025-06-13 07:51:56 UTC

Funding bid for OLSPub, Germany's planned PubMed open safety net from @npub1esq…meaj submitted. You can sign up to register your support here: https://blog.zbmed.de/olspub-support
Institutional letter of support template here: https://www.zbmed.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Pressemitteilungen/2025/2025-05-05_LoS_PubMed_Alternative_ZB_MED.pdf
Background at my blog: https://absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2025/05/14/germanys-plan-for-an-open-and-independent-pubmed-safety-net/
#OpenScience #MedLibs #Fosstodon

2025-06-01 06:08:26 UTC

Lots to learn about nasal Covid vax in my latest nextgen vax update @npub1cgw…rh79:
- 1st trial results for intranasal Covid DNA vax, with some signs it can reduce infection;
- Researchers in Japan developed over 200 monoclonal antibodies from nasally-vaxed mice to study immunity's molecular processes;
- UK authorization for nextgen mRNA vax being sought soon;
- US takes bizarre funding turn;
- 7th pancoronavirus vax going into clinical trial & more
https://absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2025/05/31/intranasal-vaccine-trial-results-and-more-on-preventing-covid-infection-nextgen-vax-update-29/
#Vaccines #Covid #Covid19

2025-05-14 15:40:25 UTC

This is so exciting! The German National Library of Medicine @npub1esq…meaj just had its first open meeting on the plan for an open and independent PubMed safety net. Here's my write-up @npub1cgw…rh79 on the meeting & how institutions & others can help: https://absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2025/05/14/germanys-plan-for-an-open-and-independent-pubmed-safety-net/
#MedLibs

2025-05-14 07:39:28 UTC

Finding Militant Optimism
A lot of posts about hope sprouted in the northern hemisphere spring this year. Ordinarily, I would soak all this up, and feel energized. But it felt more alienating than inspiring in this moment. I needed something stronger. I found it by dipping into conceptualizations of hope in political philosophy. Descriptions of hope can feel naïve, when so much in the world is clearly getting worse.
https://hildabastian.wordpress.com/2025/05/14/finding-militant-optimism/

2025-05-01 06:16:53 UTC

Lots of next generation Covid vaccine news this month:
- Some good news at last about US Project NextGen trial funding for mucosal vax
- Preclinical studies for several intranasal vaxes showing prevention of transmission
- First preclinical results for a key French intranasal vax
- More data on the safety of self-amplifying mRNA vax
Plus more now @npub1cgw…rh79
https://absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2025/04/30/more-progress-in-vaccines-to-reduce-covid-transmission-nextgen-vax-update-28/
#Covid #Covid19 #Vaccines

2025-04-17 02:33:17 UTC

"With sadness and resolve: Why I resigned as Chief Medical Officer of an NIH Institute and what comes next" by Josh Fessel. Such a powerful document:
1) "We must limit the damage..."
2) "we must tell the stories of science and scientists, of public health and the professionals that work to keep us all healthy."
3) "we must protect the next generation of leaders in the biomedical sciences and public
health like your life and theirs depend on it, because they do."
https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/10.1513/AnnalsATS.202503-366IP

2025-04-14 08:05:07 UTC

This is Sechi Katō (1893-1989) in 1918. It's her graduation photo from a women's college in Tokyo.
Eventually she would become the first woman principal investigator at RIKEN, Japan's national chemistry & physics institute. She faced incredibly daunting hurdles before then...
1/7
#WomenInSTEM
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/114/334/171/466/457/712/original/c06496b2f295bc74.png

2025-04-03 06:08:17 UTC

In my recent post about PubMed, a concern I raised was what might happen with the committee that has the power to decide what journals are PubMed-indexed. They could open the anti-science/pseudoscience floodgates.
This is the message you get now for that committee - gulp:
https://internet.csr.nih.gov/Committees/Members/100753/LSTR
My post: https://mastodon.online/@hildabast/114000727682609843
#MedLibs

2025-04-01 05:44:11 UTC

Major funding cuts to the vaccine pipeline announced in the US, but important advances for mucosal Covid vaccines globally:
- 10th mucosal vax reaches phase 2 (in Canada)
- Another human challenge trial as prep for mucosal trials started in Singapore
- Trial results, including one for intranasal vax in kids in China
And lots more in my latest next generation Covid vaccine update now online @npub1cgw…rh79
https://absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2025/03/31/mucosal-covid-vaccine-trials-progress-us-rd-funding-cuts-nextgen-update-27/
#Vaccines #Covid #Covid19

2025-03-21 23:01:49 UTC

This is amazing! Lie Detectors combat media misinformation & polarization on democracy. Based in Brussels. They run classroom sessions in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, Poland & Switzerland - run by journalists, giving young people the experience of getting to know journalists.
They do teacher training, too - & they will do international training remotely!
https://lie-detectors.org/

2025-02-28 03:23:17 UTC

A big news month for next generation Covid vaccines! Exciting news from Europe - - and roadblocks in the US.
- Kostaive self-amplifying mRNA authorized in Europe & a burning question answered! It generates more mRNA from a lower dose, but it is transient, too.
- France taking the lead for intranasal Covid vaccine?
- With all the roadblocks now in the US, what do prospects for nextgen vax look like there?
All this & more in my new @npub1cgw…rh79 post:
https://absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2025/02/28/exciting-news-from-europe-and-roadblocks-in-the-us-nextgen-covid-vax-update-26/
#Vaccines #Covid #Covid19

2025-02-22 05:54:39 UTC

Paris Adkins-Jackson is an epidemiologist who uses mixed methods to study structural racism – including with NIH funding.
Originally from South Central LA, she's now at Columbia Uni.
I've created a Wikipedia page for her:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Adkins-Jackson
See also: https://www.science.org/content/article/capture-racism-s-impact-health-one-epidemiologist-suggests-going-beyond-conventional
#BlackHistoryMonth
#WomenInSTEM
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/114/045/284/814/091/611/original/210e07fc47d46035.jpeg

2025-02-22 04:41:59 UTC

Particularly happy today to be on team @npub1cgw…rh79 👏 👏
https://theplosblog.plos.org/2025/02/plos-statement-on-recent-us-executive-orders-and-scientific-integrity/

2025-02-21 08:34:22 UTC

Oh good. @npub1j04…hp78 has a fact check on that measles has longterm benefits nonsense:
https://science.feedback.org/review/no-evidence-measles-prevents-cancer-heart-disease-can-lead-long-term-health-problems-instead/
In fact, it can cause longterm health problems eg hearing loss and neurological damage.

2025-02-20 01:59:06 UTC

Sanity prevailed today: Montana did * not * pass the bill to ban mRNA vaccines!
https://www.billtrack50.com/billdetail/1752986
No anti-mRNA theory seemed to be too bizarre for the proponents:
https://nbcmontana.com/newsletter-daily/proposed-bill-would-ban-administration-of-mrna-vaccines-in-montana
My anti-mRNA debunking compendium:
https://absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2024/12/28/getting-ready-for-more-mrna-vaccine-fear-mongering-a-compendium/
#Vaccines

2025-02-07 05:40:39 UTC

Now more than ever is a great time to be reminded of the powerful work of Margaret Morgan Lawrence (1914-2019) & honor her extraordinary legacy.
Decades before "social determinants of health" was coined, she spoke of "nature, nurture and noxia"
🧵
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Morgan_Lawrence
#BlackHistoryMonth #WomenInSTEM
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/113/960/995/598/849/824/original/c8d23ee04d13c108.jpeg

2025-02-04 02:58:25 UTC

In the mood to honor accomplishments in microbiology? A trio of African-American women who made a mark, with Wikipedia pages to visit:
Ruth Ella Moore (1903-1994). In 1933, she was the 1st African-American woman to gain a PhD in natural science
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Ella_Moore
#BlackHistoryMonth
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/113/943/370/200/241/920/original/bd81840cca8890d0.png

2025-02-01 06:08:52 UTC

Want some good news? Sure you do!
Check out my update on next generation Covid vaccines this month @npub1cgw…rh79
* Another intranasal Covid vax went into clinical trial in Europe - it's the 32nd mucosal vax in trials
* An oral Covid vax trial got the green light to start recruiting thousands across the US
* More preclinical research showing reduced transmission
* International funding for a pancoronavirus vax in Canada
https://absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2025/01/31/another-intranasal-covid-vaccine-trial-more-good-news-update-25/
#Vaccines #Covid #Covid19

2025-01-29 02:56:53 UTC

She persisted.
This was given to me by a colleague when I left the NIH to come home 🦘 in 2018. Sharing the vibe back there today, with love and solidarity.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevertheless,_she_persisted
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/113/909/390/004/677/272/original/7e96540607a52a19.jpg

2025-01-08 05:19:16 UTC

Such an important hunt.... 🙏
There are "so many gaps and silences in the HIV/AIDS archives... the voices and experiences of PWA (people with AIDS) have been largely missing."
"This is a plea for living memory, or at least for memory that lives on in half-forgotten boxes....we must never forget that public health is always personal and that memory is a fragile resource."
https://www.statnews.com/2025/01/07/aids-history-project-ucsf-jon-miller-hiv-journals-archive/

2025-01-03 05:23:35 UTC

Some Good News, At Least, for the Start of the Year
Last year ended with some good news for Covid vaccination: The European Medicines Agency recommended authorization for its first next generation Covid vaccine. Authorization for 30 European countries should follow in January or February. And manufacturers plan to apply for approvals in the UK and US this year as well – and perhaps elsewhere, too. The vaccine is the self-amplifying mRNA vaccine developed by the US…
https://hildabastian.wordpress.com/2025/01/03/some-good-news-at-least-for-the-start-of-the-year/

2024-12-31 08:48:28 UTC

- reply

....Knowing broad international access was on the way, I've been going flat out preparing for an anti-vax campaign on steroids.
Step 1 was my recent compendium on anti-mRNA-vax fear-mongering.
The final step is online now: An introduction to self-amplifying RNA vaccine
https://absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2024/12/31/self-amplifying-mrna-covid-vaccine-an-introduction/
#Vaccines #Covid #Covid19

2024-12-31 08:44:10 UTC

Huge Covid vax milestone: The first next generation Covid vax has passed its European Medicines Agency review! 🎉 And an application to the US FDA is planned.
The Arcturus self-amplifying RNA vaccine is on track for EU authorization in 30 countries in the next few weeks: Happy New Year, Europeans!
All this & more in my latest monthly update @npub1cgw…rh79 ... 1/2
https://absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2024/12/31/authorization-milestone-for-first-nextgen-covid-vaccine-in-europe-and-more-news-update-24/
#Vaccines #Covid #Covid19

2024-12-28 20:21:32 UTC

Science Feedback * are * on Mastodon @npub1j04…hp78
Sign up for their newsletter, too, so you don't miss any of their fact-checking of viral claims in health, climate, & energy. (You can select which to be informed about.)
https://science.feedback.org/
(Thanks @npub1xq0…956k for the tip!)

2024-12-28 07:02:45 UTC

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...A bonus in this ⬆️ post: I got to know a science fact-checking project that I can * highly * recommend!
Science Feedback is an international science project, based in France. They publish systematic, referenced fact checks in health, climate, and energy. In English & French. Heroic!
Sadly not on Mastodon, but you can subscribe to their newsletter. (& on BlueSky.)
https://science.feedback.org/

2024-12-28 06:58:24 UTC

Ever wonder about the basis for fear-mongering & conspiracy theories about mRNA vaccine? Wish you had a place to go when someone cites "proof"?
I've got you covered! In my latest post @npub1cgw…rh79, I buckle up for the waves of anti-vax claims likely to come at us in 2025 :
https://absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2024/12/28/getting-ready-for-more-mrna-vaccine-fear-mongering-a-compendium/
#Vaccines #Covid

2024-12-21 08:02:13 UTC

Comforting holiday plans.
An old post of mine about grief and sadness when celebrations are all around. With some links for people grieving around holidays:
https://hildabastian.wordpress.com/2023/06/14/comforting-holiday-plans/
A giant hug to everyone with any kind of deep heartache now!
❤️‍🩹
This heart is from a card made for me by the son for whom I grieve. A reminder of love, always.
#Grief
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/113/689/737/447/831/687/original/93b3ee8298a411c3.jpg

2024-12-04 06:07:59 UTC

It was a *bumper* month for next generation Covid vax development! 🎉
– New data from 7 clinical trials! Another vax outperformed the BNT/Pfizer vaccine, this time in people with suppressed immune systems
– A major milestone for Project NextGen
– News on regulators' plans for pancoronavirus vax applications
– Human challenge study group news
– Plus 12 reports of preclinical research
Post @npub1cgw…rh79 https://absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2024/12/03/a-bumper-month-for-trial-results-of-nextgen-covid-vaccines-update-23/
#Covid #Covid19 #Vaccines

2024-11-21 22:08:53 UTC

"Look at the world! See it aching! It’s got so many problems—I promise you, there’s one with your name on it."
Lovely piece from Adam Mastroianni on underrated ways to change the world:
https://www.experimental-history.com/p/underrated-ways-to-change-the-world

2024-11-13 07:37:26 UTC

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... In 1924, she joined RIKEN, Japan's premier national science institution, in addition to her teaching post. This photo was taken at RIKEN that year: She was 40.
There, she determined the molecular structure of shikonin, that purple pigment, and then the structure of carthamin. Carthamin gives safflower its color. She earned her doctorate with that work in 1929. That was just the second time a woman was awarded a PhD in science in Japan... 4/6
https://www.riken.jp/en/about/history/figures/
https://www.chemistryviews.org/chika-kuroda-the-pioneering-female-chemist-in-japan/
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/113/474/496/508/424/485/original/dfdebdc18faa3dd3.png
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/113/474/497/699/168/125/original/2fb398da22dad878.png

2024-11-13 07:35:59 UTC

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...Kuroda was an organic chemist, studying natural pigments. As an undergraduate, she studied a purple one from the root of a species of Lithospermum erythrorhizon, a color she named Shikonin.
When she presented her work on it to the Chemical Society of Japan 1918, she was the first woman to ever do that, too. She also published her first journal article that year.
From 1921 to 1923, she studied at Oxford University. This photo was taken in Oxford in 1922...3/6
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chika_Kuroda
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/113/474/492/696/573/505/original/5bf82d127d31257e.png

2024-11-13 07:34:26 UTC

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... Her father was part of the samurai uprising called the Saga Rebellion in 1874. This is a family photo celebrating her parents' golden wedding anniversary, around the time of Kuroda's graduation. She is in the 2nd row, 2nd from right.
When the university announced it would admit women, Kuroda was teaching at a Tokyo teaching college for women, that later became Ochanomizu University. She was one of 3 women who sat the entrance exam ... 2/6
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/369258799_Kuroda_Chika_1884-1968_-_Pioneer_Woman_Chemist_in_Twentieth_Century_Japan
https://web.archive.org/web/20200319023058/https://sentineljapan.com/2017/09/26/the-admission-of-women-time-travel-tohoku-university/
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/113/474/484/736/499/283/original/6dbc8181cb7d56e6.png

2024-11-13 07:33:02 UTC

This is the graduating class of 1916, chemistry division, Tohoku Imperial University.
There, at the end of the 2nd row, is the first woman to achieve a bachelor of science in Japan.
Her name was 黒田チカ, Chika Kuroda (1884-1968) & she was the daughter of a samurai...1/6
#WomenInSTEM #tbt
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/113/473/858/594/383/206/original/c5a61e04ea7d43af.png

2024-11-07 23:27:29 UTC

Kicked my Twitter account to the kerb. Very satisfying. Can recommend.
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/113/444/119/798/429/164/original/b39c32d442590008.png

2024-11-05 06:00:36 UTC

Optimism and Participating in Research
It's springtime here in Australia, and my garden is projecting optimism. I sure am grateful for it. Between personal grief, and all there is to despair or be anxious about in the world, cheery things are so very welcome. As I'm typing, the final day of voting is underway in the US election. I wrote last time that I decided not to place weight on the polling.
https://hildabastian.wordpress.com/2024/11/05/optimism-and-participating-in-research/

2024-11-02 03:16:35 UTC

Irises! 😍
This year's surprise from a mystery bunch of bulbs – orange ones! 😍
#Bloomscrolling
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/113/411/164/894/379/450/original/9edf34630a11e2c4.jpg

2024-11-01 06:12:57 UTC

A big month for next generation Covid vaccine development! 🎉
- The first nextgen vax outperforming Pfizer's for 12 months!
- Next-gen vax is coming with next-gen anti-vax campaigning that's like the anti-mRNA ones on steroids 😳
- More funding news from Project NextGen, with a big trial kicking off, & trying out a smartwatch for clinical trial data collection.
Plus more data from clinical trials & preclinical studies in my update post @npub1cgw…rh79 https://absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2024/10/31/strong-longterm-results-and-a-nextgen-anti-vax-campaign-covid-vax-update-22/
#Vaccines #Covid #Covid19

2024-09-01 06:20:10 UTC

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....And a reminder ICYMI... My answer to a question I get asked a lot: "When will we get a sterilizing Covid vaccine?"
2/2
https://hildabastian.wordpress.com/2024/05/07/when-will-we-get-a-sterilizing-covid-vaccine/
#Vaccines #Covid #Covid19

2024-09-01 06:18:40 UTC

Mucosal ("sterilizing") Covid vaccine trials are kicking into high gear.
Tens of thousands of next generation trial volunteers will be needed in the US soon. And we've got the first details for a Project NextGen "mini-efficacy" trial...
The first step for human challenge trials of intranasal etc vaxes is underway in the UK...
All this & more in my latest nextgen vax update @npub1cgw…rh79 ...1/2
https://absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2024/08/31/mucosal-covid-vax-trials-kicking-into-high-gear-update-20/
#Vaccines #Covid #Covid19

2024-08-29 09:24:42 UTC

This is Shyamala Gopalan Harris, Kamala Harris' scientist mother. 🥥
When her daughters spoke glowingly of her influence on them at the DNC, I was one of the 300,000 people who flocked to her Wikipedia page to find out more.
It left me curious about her life as a scientist & sent me down a rabbit hole. My new @npub1cgw…rh79 post is what I learned:
https://absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2024/08/29/some-context-of-what-came-before-shyamala-gopalan-harris-scientist-life/
#WomenInSTEM #tbt
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/113/044/562/266/318/548/original/ce2711065bd66e3f.png

2024-08-14 07:59:54 UTC

Cheering Women On
It's been wonderful to have so many women to cheer on lately, with sunshine and exuberance pouring out from the Kamala Harris campaign and the Olympics. All that accomplishment could even rise above the head-spinning levels of racism, misogyny, sexism, and transphobia it triggered. Most of the backlash is what you would expect, but something about transphobia used to perplex me.
https://hildabastian.wordpress.com/2024/08/14/cheering-women-on/

2024-08-10 06:58:57 UTC

Checking in on the pandemic's impact on women in science....with real relief at what I found!
Science's diversity problem could have gotten a whole lot worse. It was a heavy, heavy lift : We should applaud people's progress accordingly!
My latest post @npub1cgw…rh79 https://absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2024/08/09/checking-in-on-pandemic-impact-on-women-in-science/
#WomenInSTEM #Covid
https://files.mastodon.online/media_attachments/files/112/936/413/340/712/317/original/6b686f1539be368b.jpg

2024-08-01 07:22:53 UTC

Latest nextgen Covid vax update:
- Encouraging preclinical results for an intranasal pancoronavirus vaccine from the Uni of Houston;
- And then there were 30 ... mucosal vaxes reaching clinical trial - with some new clinical results;
- Preclinical results for an intranasal vax that held a high immune response for at least 15 months;
- News from Project NextGen, including 1st of their trials beginning recruitment;
& more at @npub1cgw…rh79
https://absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2024/07/31/more-signs-of-broad-protection-from-next-generation-covid-vaccines-update-19/
#Vaccines #Covid #Covid19