Nsikan Akpan

@monscience

Highly melanated | YNWA | CNN Weather senior editor | Big Picture Science contributor | PhD pathobiologist

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Nsikan Akpan@monscience· 27d

Wildfire (near-surface) smoke forecast for 5 pm today in the Northeast. Michigan will get the business, and the air quality could be less than fun for NYC, too.

NOAA HRRR smoke forecast — a near-surface smoke concentration map for July 15, 2026 at 5 pm EDT (21 UTC), showing heavy smoke (from wildfires) streaming across the northern US/Canada border, with the densest plumes (purple/red) over the north-central US.

Nsikan Akpan@monscience· Jun 30

Word …

Screenshot of the CNN Weather app showing conditions for New York City, NY. The “feels like” temperature is 90°F, with an actual temperature of 86°F, a low of 71°F, and a high of 88°F, alongside a partly sunny icon. Text below reads “The air is muggy, and the heat will intensify through this afternoon.” Two alert badges are shown: a dark red “Extreme Heat Warning” and a white “Extreme Heat Watch.”

Nsikan Akpan@monscience· May 18

Re Ebola: On today's media call, a reporter asked if the CDC has specific plans for World Cup travelers coming from Central Africa. DRC qualified for the WC, and next month, the team will play in Houston, Guadalajara, and Atlanta. CDC's answer: We'll get back to you...😬 www.cdc.gov/media/releas...

Screenshot of a press briefing transcript excerpt. At timestamp 00:14:24, Sherman Deselle of Fox 26 Houston asks CDC officials about specific guidance and enhanced screening protocols for major international transit hubs and host cities — particularly Houston, which is serving as a World Cup host site for the DRC — expecting high volumes of travelers from Ebola-affected regions, and about what escalation thresholds would trigger stricter travel advisories or mandatory monitoring for athletes traveling from Uganda to the U.S. At 00:15:12, Dr. Pillai responds that the situation is evolving and that interagency colleagues will continue working to finalize plans, with more to follow. At 00:15:25, Mr. Haynes calls for the last question.

Nsikan Akpan@monscience· May 18

U.S. issues Ebola-related travel bans for Uganda, DRC, and South Sudan. CDC order: www.cdc.gov/ebola/situat...

Screenshot of a CDC webpage titled "CDC Statement on the Use of Public Health Travel Restrictions to Prevent the Introduction of Ebola Disease into the United States," dated May 18, 2026. A "What to Know" summary box states that on May 18, 2026, CDC, DHS, and other federal agencies implemented enhanced travel screening, entry restrictions, and public health measures to prevent Ebola from entering the United States amid ongoing outbreaks in East and Central Africa. The page includes a section on a Title 42 Order and a sidebar with related pages including Current Situation, About, and Signs and Symptoms.

Nsikan Akpan@monscience· May 1

As an Atlanta sports fan, in some ways, this feels right …

Nsikan Akpan@monscience· Apr 14

Nsikan Akpan@monscience· Apr 10

If news outlets can vibe code a rewrite desk to mimic a journalist’s writing style, it could increase the demand for hiring field reporters. Or the opposite, I suppose. www.wired.com/story/tech-r...

A screenshot of a Wired article discussing the concept of the rewrite desk, explaining how it historically transformed reporters’ raw details into polished articles. The excerpt notes that the AI tool Claude now serves a similar role for journalist Alex Heath.

Nsikan Akpan@monscience· Apr 10

It’s important to note that the man had caught tuberculosis, meaning the flu infection may have been opportunistic and not the primary cause of his illness. www.who.int/emergencies/...

Screenshot of a WHO Disease Outbreak News alert: Avian Influenza A(H9N2) - Italy 10 April 2026. The excerpt states that on March 16, a bronchoalveolar lavage specimen tested positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis and detected unsubtyped influenza A virus. The patient was placed in a negative-pressure isolation room with airborne precautions, treated with antitubercular medication and oseltamivir, and was stable and improving by April 9.

Nsikan Akpan@monscience· Apr 7

toddlers, ya know...

Nsikan Akpan@monscience· Apr 7

"That's no moon. It's a spa..." No, in this case, it's the Moon.

The Moon, backlit by the Sun during a solar eclipse, is photographed by NASA’s Orion spacecraft on April 6, 2026, during the Artemis II mission. Orion is visible in the foreground on the left. Earth is reflecting sunlight at the left edge of the Moon, which is slightly brighter than the rest of the disk. The bright spot visible just below the Moon’s bottom right edge is Saturn. Beyond that, the bright spot at the right edge of the image is Mars. Credit: NASA

https://images.nasa.gov/details/art002e009571

Nsikan Akpan@monscience· Apr 6

The next iPhone commercial ...

Nsikan Akpan@monscience· Mar 26

Nsikan Akpan@monscience· Mar 25

His argument is a little funky. He suggests that labs with biological agents could experience an accidental release from a missile strike. But he doesn't mention Israel, which hasn't signed the BwC, conducts more biological research per capita than Iran (ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsb2023...),

$Screenshot of “ NSF Table SPBS-5,” a data table titled “S&E articles in biological and biomedical sciences, fractional count, by region, country, or economy: 2003–22.” The visible columns show yearly values from 2013 to 2022. The Middle East row rises from about 6,228 in 2013 to 16,779 in 2022. Among visible Middle Eastern countries, Iran and Israel have the largest 2022 totals, highlighted in orange: Iran at 7,902.29 and Israel at 2,150.01. Other visible 2022 values include Saudi Arabia 3,268.80, Iraq 1,179.20, Georgia 505.70, Jordan 426.48, and the United Arab Emirates 527.25. Source: https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsb202333/publication-output-by-region-country-or-economy-and-by-scientific-field$

Nsikan Akpan@monscience· Mar 24

Luckily he still has career prospects as Gorton's Fisherman …

An AI-generated photo that poses Robert Malone as Gorton's Fisherman

Nsikan Akpan@monscience· Mar 16

This ACIP appointee lacks vaccine expertise…and this appointee lacks expertise …. and this appointee lacks expertise …

Nsikan Akpan@monscience· Mar 16

The Court: “Of the fifteen members currently on ACIP, even under the most generous reading, only six appear to have any meaningful experience in vaccines—the very focus of ACIP.” Also the Court: In case you’re wondering, we mean these people … www.courtlistener.com/docket/70722...

Composite screenshots of pages 29–30 of a federal court opinion (Case 1:25-cv-11916-BEM, Document 291, filed 03/16/26). The text discusses alleged gaps in the qualifications of members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). A highlighted sentence reads “even under the most generous reading,” referring to the court’s assessment that only six of fifteen members appear to have meaningful vaccine experience.

Footnotes list several named ACIP members—Drs. Blackburn, Griffin, Hibbeln, Milhoan, Pagano, Pollak, Levi, Malone, and Stein—and describe their professional backgrounds. Multiple passages are highlighted in yellow stating variations of: “There is no evidence in the record that [the member] has any relevant vaccine-related experience or expertise.” Additional highlighted text notes that one member has published only two vaccine-related papers shortly before appointment, and that another’s decades-old mRNA research does not establish the requisite current expertise for ACIP. Page numbers “29” and “30” appear at the bottom.

Nsikan Akpan@monscience· Mar 16

The ruling is a droll read. Here’s where RFK’s lawyers tried to argue that a CDC director could bypass experts and recommend “measles lunches” without facing judicial review … 😅

Screenshot of a federal court document (Case 1:25-cv-11916-BEM, Document 291, filed 03/16/26), page 19 of 45. The page shows a written opinion discussing judicial review of public health actions under 42 U.S.C. § 243(a). A quoted exchange from oral argument appears mid-page, with a highlighted phrase reading “we are sponsoring measles lunches.” In the exchange, the judge poses a hypothetical about the CDC encouraging people to have lunch with someone who has measles, questioning whether such a policy would be judicially reviewable. Defense counsel responds that it would be committed to agency discretion. A footnote at the bottom references additional transcript excerpts.

Nsikan Akpan@monscience· Mar 6

Most trusted group? Primary care providers The data reinforces why public health messaging should target them.

Stacked horizontal bar chart from the Annenberg Public Policy Center titled “Confidence in Custodians of Public Health.” It shows how confident respondents are that various people or institutions provide trustworthy public health information. Categories are split into very confident, somewhat confident, not too confident, and not at all confident.

Primary care providers receive the highest confidence ratings: 46% very confident and 40% somewhat confident, with 7% not too confident, 2% not at all confident, and 5% reporting no primary care provider. Confidence is also relatively high for the American Heart Association (31% very, 51% somewhat), the American Academy of Pediatrics (26%, 51%), and the American Medical Association (24%, 49%).

Midrange confidence is shown for career scientists at federal agencies (18% very, 49% somewhat), NIH (12%, 50%), FDA (13%, 49%), and CDC (13%, 47%), though roughly 36% to 40% of respondents say they are not too or not at all confident in those agencies.

Views are more divided for Dr. Anthony Fauci, with 25% very confident, 29% somewhat confident, 20% not too confident, and 26% not at all confident. Confidence is lower for the EPA (12% very, 41% somewhat), leaders at federal agencies (5%, 38%), Dr. Oz as CMS administrator (7%, 35%), and RFK Jr. as HHS secretary (9%, 29%). RFK Jr. has the lowest trust overall, with 24% not too confident and 38% not at all confident.

Nsikan Akpan@monscience· Mar 6

Small typo here:

Nsikan Akpan@monscience· Jan 29

Bird flu detected on Pennsylvania egg farm; 1.5 million birds affected. 👀 www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-po...

A screenshot of a USDA table titled List of Detections by Day, displaying a table of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) cases in the United States.

The text above the table states that since the outbreak began on February 8, 2022, a total of 187.72 million birds have been affected across 2,041 flocks in 50 states and 1 territory. This includes 924 commercial flocks and 1,117 backyard flocks.

The table contains the following columns: Confirmation Date, State, County Name, Production, Control Area Released, and Birds Affected.

Key data entries include:

Jan 28, 2026: Lancaster, Pennsylvania; Commercial Table Egg Layer; 1,509,700 birds affected.

Nsikan Akpan@monscience· Dec 5

CDC ACIP restored time for a presentation about aluminum adjuvants, after removing it from the schedule last night. This presentation could be consequential, as changing policy on these adjuvants (which are safe) could affect nearly half of the childhood vaccine schedule at once.

A large, color-coded table titled “Recommended Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule for Ages 18 Years or Younger, United States, 2025,” published by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The chart lists vaccines in a left-hand column and shows recommended ages across the top from birth through 18 years. Colored bars stretch across the grid to indicate when each vaccine dose is recommended.

Highlighted in red are vaccines containing aluminum adjuvants: Hepatitis B; rotavirus; diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis (DTaP); Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib); pneumococcal conjugate; inactivated poliovirus; influenza; MMR; varicella; Hepatitis A; Tdap; human papillomavirus (HPV); meningococcal ACWY; meningococcal B; and RSV for pregnancy.

Nsikan Akpan@monscience· Dec 4

ACIP has released a final agenda for this week’s meeting about vaccine ingredients (specifically aluminum adjuvants) and the hepatitis B vaccine. www.cdc.gov/acip/downloa... Vice chair Robert Malone will lead the two-day session that starts this morning at 8 am ET. Hold on to your butts.

Page 1 of a final agenda for the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) meeting on Thursday, December 4, 2025. Sessions begin at 8:00 a.m. with welcome remarks by Dr. Robert Malone and Dr. Mina Zadeh. At 8:30 a.m., a Hepatitis B recap includes presentations on policy context, disease burden, and vaccine safety, followed by discussion. At 10:40 a.m., representatives from vaccine manufacturers (GSK, Merck, Sanofi) present and take questions.

Page 2 shows a continuation of the December 4 agenda. At 11:35 a.m., additional Hepatitis B vaccine presentations cover proposed vote language, VFC updates, and CMS comments, followed by discussion. At 1:50 p.m. there is a session featuring perspectives from people with lived experience, followed at 2:00 p.m. by public comments. Votes on Hepatitis B recommendations begin at 2:30 p.m. Coverage implications are discussed at 3:15 p.m. A break occurs at 3:25 p.m., then workgroup updates at 3:30 p.m., agency updates at 3:35 p.m., and adjournment at 3:45 p.m.

Page 3 of the agenda is for Friday, December 5, 2025. The meeting begins at 8:30 a.m. with welcome and roll call. At 9:30 a.m., presenter Aaron Siri discusses the U.S. childhood/adolescent immunization schedule and comparisons with other developed countries, followed by discussion. Lunch is at 12:05 p.m. At 12:35 p.m., Dr. Tracy Beth Hoeg presents on U.S. versus Danish vaccine schedules. At 1:35 p.m., Dr. Martin Kulldorff discusses associations between early-life aluminum exposure from vaccines and persistent asthma. At 2:35 p.m., Dr. Evelyn Griffin presents on vaccines and aluminum adjuvants. The meeting adjourns at 3:45 p.m.

Nsikan Akpan@monscience· Dec 1

Martin Kulldorff, the head of CDC's vaccine advisory committee (ACIP), is now the chief scientific officer for HHS's policy tank. www.hhs.gov/press-room/r... Also this week, ACIP will meet to discuss (aka blow up?) the childhood vaccine schedule. www.cdc.gov/acip/meeting...

A screenshot of a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services press release dated December 1, 2025. The headline announces that epidemiologist and biostatistician Martin Kulldorff has been appointed chief science officer for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. The release describes his background with ACIP and Harvard Medical School, and includes supportive quotes from HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, and Kulldorff himself. It notes his prior work on vaccine safety surveillance and mentions that Kirk Milhoan now chairs ACIP, with Robert Malone as vice chair. Contact information for the HHS Press Office appears at the top.

A one-page draft agenda for the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) meeting on Thursday, December 4, 2025. The page lists a 9:00 a.m. start with welcome, roll call, and workgroup updates, followed by discussions on CDC vaccine risk monitoring, vaccine schedule history, and the childhood/adolescent immunization schedule. After lunch, the agenda covers vaccine schedule considerations, a break, and a session on adjuvants and contaminants. The meeting is scheduled to adjourn at 5:30 p.m. A large translucent “DRAFT” watermark runs diagonally across the page.

A one-page draft agenda for the ACIP meeting on Friday, December 5, 2025. The meeting begins at 8:00 a.m. with welcome, roll call, and agency updates, followed by a presentation and discussion on the hepatitis B vaccine. After a break, hepatitis B sessions continue through lunch, including VFC and CMS presentations and additional discussion. The afternoon includes a public comment period, another break, and voting. The meeting is scheduled to adjourn at 5:00 p.m. A large diagonal “DRAFT” watermark overlays the page.

Nsikan Akpan@monscience· Oct 30

I’d like to meet the parents who’d agree to, “Ok, my kid can blame me if they develop cervical cancer.” www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

Screenshot of a Politico article titled “RFK Jr.’s top vaccine adviser says he answers to no one.” The subheadline reads, “In an interview with POLITICO, Martin Kulldorff said the health secretary has asked him to impartially follow the science.” Below, a photo shows Martin Kulldorff seated at a conference table, wearing glasses and a light blue jacket, listening attentively during a meeting. The caption notes that he was seen during a CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices meeting on Sept. 18, 2025, in Chamblee, Georgia.

Screenshot of a Politico article excerpt of an interview with Martin Kulldorff. The text discusses vaccine safety trials, quoting Kulldorff saying randomized, placebo-controlled trials should be done for vaccines and suggesting that for the HPV vaccine, half of participants could receive it at age 9 and half at age 14 to compare timing.

Nsikan Akpan@monscience· Oct 25

For egg-layers, the r-naught was 13—comparable with human measles. For broiler chickens, it was 6. For the turkeys, the r-naught estimate was 25. 🤯 www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/bird...

Graphic with a bold quote in black text reading, “We don’t even have a human equivalent of that,” attributed to Carol Cardona, a professor and the Pomeroy Endowed Chair in Avian Health at the University of Minnesota. The design includes an orange horizontal bar above the quote on a white background.

Nsikan Akpan@monscience· Oct 25

A December 2024 study, published in PLOS One, estimated what H5N1's r-naught was during the first year of the U.S. outbreak. The researchers examined three types of commercial poultry: egg-laying hens, broiler chickens for meat production, and turkey farms. journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...

Screenshot of a PLOS ONE research article titled “Estimating the time of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza virus introduction into United States poultry flocks during the 2022/24 epizootic.” The paper lists multiple authors including Amos Ssematimba and Carol J. Cardona, with affiliations to the University of Minnesota, Gulu University in Uganda, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Nsikan Akpan@monscience· Oct 25

Measles, one of the most contagious diseases in history, has an r-naught of 12 to 18. If a measles-infected person steps into a crowded train car on which everyone else lacks immunity, the virus could infect 12 to 18 people. www.thelancet.com/action/showP...

A screenshot of a Lancet Infectious Diseases review titled “The basic reproduction number (R₀) of measles: a systematic review.” The abstract defines R₀ as the average number of secondary infections caused by one case and summarizes findings from 18 studies estimating R₀ values typically between 12 and 18. Authors include Fiona Guerra and colleagues from Public Health Ontario and the University of Toronto.

Nsikan Akpan@monscience· Oct 16

The reason is always money. Tron 2 didn't fully bomb. Critics and domestic audiences disliked the sequel—no doubt. But it grossed $400 million worldwide, which was a lot for 2010. Most of the gross came overseas, namely from the Asia Pacific region. The theme park ride is based in China.

A screenshot of IMDb’s box office summary for Tron: Legacy (2010). The page shows the film’s synopsis and box office data. It grossed $172 million domestically and $228 million internationally--or $400 million worldwide.

Nsikan Akpan@monscience· Oct 9

Sigh...

Nsikan Akpan@monscience· Sep 19

Vote 3 will shift how COVID-19 vaccines’ side effects are communicated because it calls for informed consent. Currently, a shot comes with a vaccine information statement (VIS) that outlines any possible side effect. Pharmacies hand out a VIS when you sign up for a shot.