Category: Politics and Regulation
Lysenkoism 2.0 in action: Dismantling peer review at NIH
A recent report in Nature describes how the Trump administration is weakening peer review in favor of ideology-based grant approval at NIH. Lysenkoism 2.0 is in full swing and getting worse.
Lysenkoism 2.0 in action: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. abuses his power to bully journal editors over a retraction
A journal editor decided to retract and remove a bad study by an antivaxxer named Neil Z. Miller. RFK Jr. publicly demanded to know why. This is Lysenkoism 2.0 in action in 2026.
Antivaxxers vs. the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
Here in Michigan, antivaxxers have scored a couple of political victories that are less than is being claimed. What do they mean for public health in the state?
The Baloney Protection Act
We have had to endure a great deal of interference from government in the conduct of institutions that should be governed by science and evidence. I’m sorry to report – here is one more. Senators Mike Lee (R-UT) and Tommy Tuberville (R- AL) have recently introduced a bill that would limit the FDA’s ability to regulate the blatant pseudoscience of homeopathy. This...
Will NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya stand up for scientists censored by the American Diabetes Association?
Last Friday, the American Diabetes Association censored diabetes researchers at its annual meeting who opposed the Trump administration's NIH policies. Will "Flame of Freedom" winner Jay Bhattcharya speak up?
Acupuncture for Heart Attacks and more State-Sanctioned Pseudoscience
States default to a private organization run by acupuncturists and TCM practitioners to vet continuing education courses, with predictable results.
The Lysenko-ization of federal science takes a big step forward
From the beginning, Trump science policy has been Lysenko 2.0, in which ideology, not scientific promise and rigor, dictates federal grantmaking. OMB Director Russell Vought's proposed rules de-emphasizing peer review and placing political appointees in charge of final grantmaking decisions do Lysenko proud.
How Unbekoming! The central delusion of MAHA
What do vitamin K shots, vaccines, MTHFR variants, and statins have in common? The answer is what I call the central delusion behind MAHA, which was inadvertently revealed by a blogger with the 'nym Unbekoming.
Can Medical Schools Really Teach 71 Nutrition ‘Competencies’? Should They?
In recent years, nutrition has become the focus of renewed attention in medical education. Advocates argue that physicians receive too little formal training about diet and that more comprehensive nutrition education is needed to address chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers. A greater focus on the “root causes of chronic diseases” is a mantra of the Make...
Sabotaging America’s Future: The Catastrophic Cost of Federal Research Cuts
The gleeful efficiency of an arsonist who mistakes the blaze for proof of his power