Treetop toilets may act as communication hubs across mammal species The strangler fig is a keystone species in the tropics, providing food and shelter, and a place to poop for 17 different mammal species.

I got to write about mammals pooping up in the branches of strangler figs in Costa Rica! This was SUCH fun.

A few things that didn't make it into the story:

www.sciencenews.org/article/clou...

💔 "If the ice breaks apart too soon, it puts the chicks in grave danger of drowning or freezing to death, as the young birds don’t yet have waterproof feathers."
www.sciencenews.org/article/empe...

We're on strike! Don't visit propublica.org on April 8

We’re on strike today! Support our fight for a fair contract by NOT visiting the @propublica.org website or engaging with ProPublica stories today.

Tell ProPublica’s management you won’t cross the picket line: actionnetwork.org/petitions/te...

I wouldn't call it "trauma" so much as "wow that really puts my birth experience in perspective" 😆 I had a great time reading!

Congress gave money for global HIV work. The Trump administration isn't spending it U.S. work combatting HIV/AIDS has saved millions of lives globally. Under the Trump administration, funding has been slow in coming and unpredictable, wreaking havoc on people trying to do the work.

The State Dept is deliberately withholding PEPFAR funds that Congress appropriated, CDC staffer says.

"That's a controlled demolition. The people who will pay the price are the more than 12 million people living with HIV who depend on these programs for their treatment."
www.npr.org/2026/04/04/n...

Secrets of the Bees zooms in on life in a hive A new documentary available on Disney+ and Hulu appeals to our sense of wonder to highlight why bees need saving.

I watched Secrets of the Bees, National Geographic's new doc, and now I'm feeling inspired to rewild my yard. www.sciencenews.org/article/secr...

Amid vaccine policy whiplash, here's how a pediatrician talks to families A court ruling that blocks Trump administration vaccine policy is a win for science. But much work remains to rebuild trust in vaccines.

Molly O'Shea has been practicing pediatrics for 33 years. For parents who are uncertain about vaccines, “I think validating their point of view, their information, is really important,” she says, along with sharing the science behind immunization.

lots of jarring statistics and heartbreaking stories I could share from this story, but this particular anecdote made me tear up when @jonathanwosen.bsky.social first shared this story with me

For more details from our survey of ~1000 nih-funded researchers, read the report below

Federal judge stalls health secretary RFK Jr.’s overhaul of vaccine policy Breaking: A federal judge on Monday stalled major parts of health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s campaign to remake vaccine policy in the U.S.

A big — if preliminary — win for #AAP and pro- #vaccine policy today. A court has ruled Robert Kennedy's reconstitution of #ACIP and his department's rewriting of the childhood vaccination schedule are likely illegal.
Developing story.
www.statnews.com/2026/03/16/k...

Why we fail to notice climate change People quickly normalize extreme weather. Simple visuals highlighting abrupt change could help climate change break through our mental blind spots.

Frogs in a pot brought slowly to a boil may fail to jump out, and "this great pot known as Earth is now coming to a rolling boil, yet many people remain oblivious to the pending disaster."
Such a great piece from @sujatagupta.bsky.social
www.sciencenews.org/article/clim...

Submerged bumblebee queens breathe underwater Submerged bees breathe and use strategies that don’t require oxygen, lab tests show. In nature, that trick could help the bees survive floods.

Hibernating bumblebee queens have nothing to fear from being dunked underwater. They can still breathe! 🐝

By me for @sciencenews.bsky.social

On moonshots and Minneapolis Space exploration can bring people together and reflect deep societal divisions.

I've been really struggling to write about space while living through the ICE occupation in Minneapolis this winter. I was shocked to find myself thinking, "Who cares about sending people to the moon?"

That feeling is more historically resonant than I thought. 🧪🔭
www.sciencenews.org/article/moon...

We did it!! 🥳

All I want for Christmas is a fair contract but the @society4science.bsky.social is dragging their feet and now says they won't give us a proposal until next year. Our CEO gets huge raises far in excess of many guild members' salaries. Meanwhile, many of us are struggling to make ends meet.

Today December 1st is #WorldAIDSDay.
I remember the millions who have died.
I celebrate the transformative progress that has been made.
I resolve as an HIV researcher and advocate to keep up the fight to end the HIV epidemic.
Do you know you status?
Get tested. Get treated. Get on PrEP.

‘Butt breathing’ could help people who can’t get oxygen the regular way Takanori Takebe’s strange investigation into whether humans can use the gut for breathing has surprisingly sentimental origins: helping his dad.

This story by Maria Temming for @sciencenews.bsky.social must be shared. www.sciencenews.org/article/butt...

"[T]he Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is promoting the outdated, disproven idea that vaccines cause autism. Medical researchers across the globe have spent more than 25 years thoroughly studying this claim. All have come to the same conclusion: Vaccines are not linked to autism."

Limiting childhood vaccines puts everyone's health at risk Recent U.S. decisions about vaccines signal bigger changes to come that could threaten the foundation of the national childhood immunization schedule.

As the Trump administration chips away at the childhood vaccine schedule, the US risks a return to the days when infectious diseases regularly hospitalized children & needlessly cut short young lives. Areas with low vaccination spur outbreaks, threatening the health of all. There is so much to lose.

journalism is all about balance. like since you sacrificed so much for this interview, you deserve a treat!

Today marks 2 years since we officially unionized! We remain committed to fair wages, strong protections and working conditions that let us do what we love. The perfect birthday gift? A signature on our petition calling on @society4science.bsky.social CEO @mayaajmera.bsky.social for a fair contract.

Why next year's flu shot might not be as good as it should be America's withdrawal from the World Health Organization is affecting the ability of U.S. scientists to track flu and other pathogens. That could be a blow to the development of the 2025 flu vaccine.

The US withdrawal from WHO could impact the flu shot.

Flu samples sent to CDC from around the world are down 60% this year, as of July.

"When those viruses are not coming in, we don't know what to put in the vaccine, and you're going to have less effective vaccines."
www.npr.org/sections/goa...

Our remote workers may not be able to join the #picket, but they have things to say too!

"I would love to believe that the @society4science.bsky.social believes in us. Instead, I am in disbelief at how little they offer those who pour so much of themselves into its mission." @nikkogasa.bsky.social

We're stronger together✊ #unionstrong

@society4science.bsky.social @mayaajmera.bsky.social, we demand a fair contract!

560 days without a contract is too long. Support @sn-media-guild.bsky.social in their 24 hour strike. Give em a follow and sign their petition.

I’m striking because I want fair and equitable pay for myself and my colleagues. I want the @society4science.bsky.social to realize that I am a professional and don’t need to be in their building to do my job well. Respect and fairness is what I am striking for!

🚨 STRIKE ALERT: Journalists at Science News are on strike and holding a 12-hour picket outside of the office!

After 560 days of bargaining, the Science News Media Guild (@sn-media-guild.bsky.social) is demanding and fair contract NOW!

People walking a picket line holding signs

So grateful for the Science News alumni, @wbng.org, @mlexguild.bsky.social, other friends, family , neighbors and loved ones who have come out to support us today! You can show your support by signing our petition at shorturl.at/RinYU

We have fully remote workers who are essential to our publications. They get freedom to work wherever they can do their best work. Those of us in the DMV have to go sit in an office building 2 days a week where it is very difficult to work. Why?

Striking workers carrying signs that say "Fair Pay Now" (made out of magazine covers) and "We want to write news not signs!"

Our workers are some of the most creative people in the business. We'd rather put that creativity toward writing the news than these awesome signs

Say it loud and say it proud! Fair contract now! @society4science.bsky.social