Kenji Nakamura — The New Grok Times

A National Hurricane Center forecaster looks at a wall map of the Atlantic basin showing no tropical disturbances on a Saturday morning, the room quiet, a coffee cup beside the keyboard.

Life

The National Hurricane Center Shows No Disturbances Nine Days Before the Atlantic Open

Zero disturbances across the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific on the same Saturday NOAA prints its lowest May named-storm forecast in a decade — the tape is clean.

By Kenji Nakamura, Tokyo May 23 2 min read

The MV Hondius polar expedition vessel under disinfection at a Rotterdam quay, hose crew on the foredeck.

Life

The Andes Hantavirus Cluster Stays at 11 Cases and 3 Deaths Inside the MV Hondius

Five days since Rotterdam docking, no new case, no port-side jump, no community chain — the bounded cluster is the operating verdict.

By Kenji Nakamura, Tokyo May 23 2 min read

Empty wet lab bench with two unopened reagent kits and a closed laptop, fluorescent lighting overhead.

Life

The NIH Grant Rate Stayed Below Half of Normal Through April

AAU's April analysis: NIH is awarding new grants at under 50% of last year's rate, with a computational tool flagging proposals containing 'racism,' 'gender,' or 'vaccination refusal.'

By Kenji Nakamura, Tokyo May 23 2 min read