Good Things Friday (335) and Link Love
August 1, 2025
1. I’m so tired but big huge work problems for the month were solved!
I always love a good Ursula Vernon infodump. This one is on prairie sequestration.
Exclusive: NIH suspends dozens of pathogen studies over ‘gain-of-function’ concerns
Trump executive order leads to pauses on U.S.-funded research into TB, influenza, COVID-19, and other diseases, dismaying some scientists
What a good dog: Trainee hearing puppy saves trainer’s life
WTAF, CA: When Your Power Meter Becomes a Tool of Mass Surveillance
US labor activist Chris Smalls assaulted by IDF during Gaza aid trip, group say
Yeah, it’s felt like brain has been shriveling like a dried apple since 2020. Connections I know I should have been able to make are unreachable: Pandemic aged our brains faster, whether or not we got COVID, study says
The study doesn’t answer the question of whether the accelerated brain aging is reversible.
But it is well known that there are things that are good for general brain health, Mohammadi-Nejad said: physical activity, mental stimulation, social interaction, healthy sleep and good nutrition among them.
Whaaat. People are bringing their own food to Bay Area restaurants. Is ‘purse tuna’ ever OK?
Unexpected good, but they better actually release the funds! With boost to NIH budget, Senate panel rejects Trump’s plan to slash agency. Republicans on spending committee push back against proposed reorganization and overhead cuts
Paywall on the purse tuna article, but only once have I been in a situation where a couple thought it was ok to meet a group at a restaurant with their own food in tow. I was mortified!
Oh my goodness I would have wanted to fall right through the floor. At the very least, tip a WHOLE lot extra to make up for bringing your own food if you must do that due to legit reasons.