AI is about to make the global e-waste crisis much worse As demand for AI hardware surges, much of the resulting waste will end up in non-Western countries.

"Almost 70% of the e-waste generated in India comes from abroad. The U.S. is the number one origin country for e-waste shipments going to developing countries, including India. Some of these enter the country legally, but others arrive as “used goods” or “donations” that turn out to be end-of-life."

Who Are We Building the Future of Library Work For? In this interview, Aisha Johnson discusses the realities of library leadership today, making the case for an approach that is strategic, people-centered, and brave.

In Katina Magazine's latest #FutureOfWork article, Aisha Johnson (Georgia Institute of Technology Library) discusses the realities of library leadership today.

She makes the case for an approach that is strategic, people-centered, and brave.

✍️ Joel Thornton

why is this watering can dabbing

Drought could be making antibiotic resistance worse, scientists say New research suggests drought-parched soil turbocharges antibiotic resistance in nature, and with UK summers getting drier, that’s a growing problem.

“A recent study... found that when soil dries out, it can speed up the natural processes that create & spread antibiotic resistance. This doesn’t mean drought directly creates superbugs in hospitals, but it suggests climate change could make the problem worse.” via @uk.theconversation.com

The crazy nests built by leaf-cutter ants Turrets and tunnels and carbon dioxide — oh my! These ants farm, but they are also master builders.

Castles! Turrets! Queens! Complex world building!

Epic fantasy?

Dramatic romantasy?

....Leaf-cutter ants?

(yeah, it's the ants)

via @knowablemag.bsky.social
knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...

Charting the US Landscape for Open Access Books The PALOMERA project sought to understand the policy landscape for open access books in the European context. What’s different about America?

The PALOMERA project sought to understand the policy landscape for open access books in the European context. What’s different about America?

✍️ Sarah McKee and @kmccready.bsky.social, Katina Magazine: katinamagazine.org/content/arti...

Need laundry folded? Don’t ask a robot For this chore, the human touch still beats machines. But maybe not for long.

Simple physics also comes into play when attempting chores like laundry — learn more from our 2025 story. knowmag.org/4dLGoMI

Why Do Humanoid Robots Still Struggle With the Small Stuff? | Quanta Magazine The last decade has seen vast improvements in humanoid robots, but graduating to widespread use might require going back to the fundamentals.

Despite demos of robots turning cartwheels, the humanoid machines have yet to master meaningful household tasks. And they won’t — not until they master physics, John Pavlus reports at @quantamagazine.bsky.social

knowmag.org/4ej5fHJ

Of genes, chromosomes and oratorios Jenny Graves has spent her life mapping genes and comparing genomes. Now she’s created a musical opus about evolution of life on this planet — bringing the same drive and experimentalism she brought…

Jenny Graves spent her life mapping genes and comparing genomes. Then she wrote a musical opus. 🎶 #WorldArtDay

✍️ @marlabroadfoot.bsky.social

knowmag.org/480HfW1

Journey to the egg: How sperm navigate the path to fertilization COMIC: Male cells must survive twisty passages, strong currents and immune attacks; millions enter, but only one can finish

Even in an ordinary pregnancy, the journey that sperm must take to reach the egg is stunningly complicated; learn more from our 2025 comic: knowmag.org/4aTuU8v

A Journey Through Infertility An interactive journey about IVF, told from two perspectives.

The goal of in vitro fertilization is a healthy baby. But a lot has to go right along the way, from complex medical procedures to mundane management of medications and paperwork.

At @puddingviz.bsky.social, @lamthuyvo.bsky.social tells her story via an illustrated interactive: knowmag.org/48EhMSr

Charting the US Landscape for Open Access Books The PALOMERA project sought to understand the policy landscape for open access books in the European context. What’s different about America?

“Where do things currently stand for OA book policies? How difficult would implementation be?” Charting the US Landscape for Open Access Books via Katina Magazine @chashub.bsky.social katinamagazine.org/content/arti...

Select all images with cars

I just registered to go to a town hall about light rail and this was the captcha, send help

This Tool Cuts Through the Confusion of Transformative Agreements SciFree’s Journal Search Tool helps researchers navigate the sometimes-confusing array of publishers and journals covered by their institutions’ agreements. Is it worth the administrative hassle?

SciFree’s Journal Search Tool helps researchers navigate the sometimes-confusing array of publishers and journals covered by their institutions’ agreements. Is it worth the administrative hassle?

✍️ Jessica Harris, Katina Magazine:

Trump’s clash with the pope reenacts a 1,000-year-old question: What happens when sacred and secular power collide? From its earliest centuries, Christianity was bound up with politics, with frequent tensions between government power and religious authority.

“For many people, Trump’s rant against the pope was shocking. But conflicts between popes and rulers are not an aberration; they’re a durable feature of Western history.” via The Conversation theconversation.com/trumps-clash...

Why wildflowers are moving from meadows to the city The amount of green space for wildflowers in the UK has shrunk amid the rise of modern agriculture. But wildflowers are thriving where other plants can't – cities.

“Cities are often associated with stress – and only the toughest plants can cope in them. Thankfully, wildflowers thrive on stress. This is because stress keeps the competition down, says Mitschunas, and wildflowers can't cope with lots of competition.” via BBC Future www.bbc.co.uk/future/artic...

Zero-waste community kitchens turn scraps into flavor-packed dishes » Yale Climate Connections Yale Climate Connections is a nonpartisan, multimedia service providing daily broadcast radio programming and original web-based reporting, commentary, and analysis on the issue of climate change.

“Sometimes consumers may have very little impact on how to control those things, but where you can exercise control as a final consumer is in how you handle food... It is at this final stage where we truly have to honor the food that has come into our hands.”

Will AI Level the Linguistic Playing Field for Researchers? AI tools could help break down barriers for researchers who aren’t native English speakers. But not if poorly thought-out publisher policies reinforce the status quo.

Will AI level the linguistic playing field for researchers? AI tools could help break down barriers for researchers who aren’t native English speakers. But not if poorly thought-out publisher policies reinforce the status quo.

✍️ Moumita Koley and Sriparna Chatterjee, Katina Magazine:

This Tool Cuts Through the Confusion of Transformative Agreements SciFree’s Journal Search Tool helps researchers navigate the sometimes-confusing array of publishers and journals covered by their institutions’ agreements. Is it worth the administrative hassle?

“As libraries and consortia continue to invest in transformative agreements, affiliated researchers need to be able to search across all journals ... to discover titles in which they can publish OA without paying an APC.... SciFree’s Journal Search Tool is one of the first tools designed to help.”

What declining vaccination rates mean for your family – and what you can do As childhood vaccination rates in Allegheny County decline, The Conversation asked experts why parents are opting out and how to protect vaccination policy.

“An example consequence is now visible: Measles is spreading again in the U.S. In 2025, there were 2,255 confirmed cases, which is nearly double the 2019 peak of 1,274 cases.” | What declining vaccination rates mean for your family – and what you can do via @us.theconversation.com

Science is good. We should fund it.

wow, a bunch of NERDS right here!! @rosiemestel.bsky.social @rachelscience.bsky.social @debbieponchner.bsky.social @bettybaboujon.bsky.social

Will AI Level the Linguistic Playing Field for Researchers? AI tools could help break down barriers for researchers who aren’t native English speakers. But not if poorly thought-out publisher policies reinforce the status quo.

“For decades, academic publishing has quietly created a significant burden for certain authors: before your research can be considered ‘fit to publish,’ it must first sound as if it were written by a native English speaker...Can artificial intelligence finally level the playing field?” via Katina

How Australia Built a Standards-Based National Lending Network Vendors and open-source products are not substitutes for national infrastructure. But they can be vehicles for realizing it.

“Interlibrary lending and document delivery have never been neutral technical layers. They are shaped—sometimes constrained—by the platforms libraries choose to implement.”

How Australia Built a Standards-Based National Lending Network | Katina Magazine

What’s the secret to a great cup of tea? From where the Camellia sinensis bush is grown to whether the leaves are withered or fermented, much can influence the popular drink’s molecular and flavor profile

The tea on tea 🍵

—via @knowablemag.bsky.social

knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...

What’s the secret to a great cup of tea? From where the Camellia sinensis bush is grown to whether the leaves are withered or fermented, much can influence the popular drink’s molecular and flavor profile

What’s the secret to a great cup of tea?

From where the Camellia sinensis bush is grown to whether the leaves are withered or fermented, much can influence the popular drink’s molecular and flavor profile 🍵

✍️ Amber Dance: knowmag.org/Tea_bluesky

Diverse American Stories, Told by Those Who Lived Them Despite some points of friction, NewsBank’s Life in America Collection is an impressive digital archive documenting lived experience, cultural identity, and social change.

#ResourceReview: Despite some points of friction, NewsBank’s Life in America Collection is an impressive digital archive documenting lived experience, cultural identity, and social change.

✍️ Robert Flatley, Katina Magazine: katinamagazine.org/content/arti...

Diverse American Stories, Told by Those Who Lived Them Despite some points of friction, NewsBank’s Life in America Collection is an impressive digital archive documenting lived experience, cultural identity, and social change.

“Where Life in America really shines is its content: a broad array of resources that provide in-depth coverage of underrepresented communities in the United States, including an impressive selection sourced from those communities themselves.” via Katina Magazine katinamagazine.org/content/arti...

The Ecology and Evolution of Beavers: Ecosystem Engineers That Ameliorate Climate Change Beavers, Castor canadensis in North America and Castor fiber in Eurasia, are widely referred to as nature's engineers due to their ability to rapidly transform diverse landscapes into dynamic wet...

🦫 Happy #NationalBeaverDay! Beavers aren’t just busy, they’re also saving the planet. @emilyfairfax.bsky.social and Cherie Westbrook discuss how beaver ecosystem engineering is an ally against climate change. Fun fact: Emily was a beaver sci consultant for Disney-Pixar’s Hoppers! 🎬 bit.ly/4mjZJqE

How medieval chess created a space in which players – regardless of race – could engage as equals My research shows that chess created a space in which players – regardless of their skin colour – could engage as equals.

“While chess did not eradicate the dominant social norms when it came to race, it did empower players to challenge them within its own ludic realm.” theconversation.com/how-medieval... via @us.theconversation.com