Los Angeles Times - Festival of Books | 2025 Participants Participants » Festival of Books 2025 » L.A. Times - Festival of Books

I'll be at the LA Times Festival of books this Saturday talking with @peterbrannen.bsky.social, @laurapoppick.bsky.social and Dillon Osleger about their books. Come say hi if you are at bookchella! www.latimes.com/events/festi...

Wily coyote? Urban canines take more risks compared with rural ones, study finds Researchers believe behavioral gap, which may hold true across species, is probably product of less fear of harassment in cities

“You could haze a coyote and it could just look at you, and if it had a middle finger, it would essentially raise it,” Niamh Quinn @ucanr.edu tells @kategammon.bsky.social “Or you could haze a coyote and it could put its tail between its legs and not look back.” www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Thanks so much for sharing it, Jason!

Thanks so much! I'll take a look.

Five things to know about testing, cleaning contaminated soil after wildfires Testing for toxic chemicals and heavy metals is available in Los Angeles County from philanthropic groups, researchers, and the public health department, after the 2025 wildfires. Learn more here.

How much should you worry about toxins like lead deposited in your soil after a fire? And how can you get your yard or garden tested? I wrote about it, for @calmatters.org: calmatters.org/environment/...

Gut stuff is the worst because there's no escaping it!

These parrots came to Los Angeles as pets – then went wild. Now scientists are unlocking their mysteries Once escapees from the pet trade, Los Angeles’s feral parrots have become a vibrant part of city life, and could even aid conservation in their native homelands

I had a great time chasing around parrots in LA for this story -- and ultimately, these nosy, colorful additions to the city are a reminder that many of us come from elsewhere. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

It's such a thrill to be in this group. Looking forward to seeing everyone's projects develop.

Jane Goodall was a massive inspiration. Seeing that animals are actually just like us allows people to find empathy in so many parts of the natural world.

I'm here! Let's hang!

Thank you!

Excellent investigative work. I'm so curious what Criscitiello would say, if she'd been willing to comment.

I'd like to report a crime.

Lovely piece. So cool to think of the way modern and ancient weave together.

The Shark Whisperer Donald Nelson spent his life undoing the damage that Jaws did to the perception of sharks.

As Jaws turns 50, @kategammon.bsky.social takes a look at the science advisor behind the movie -- and how what he did after Jaws transformed our understanding of sharks again. In @nautil.us: nautil.us/the-shark-wh... 🦈

‘Tastes like water’: how a US facility is recycling sewage to drink A California project can turn sewage into drinking water in less than an hour and could be a blueprint for other water-scarce regions

I traveled down to Orange County to drink some water that had, just an hour before, been ice-tea-colored sewage. Spoiler alert: the water tasted like water.

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Hi Michael! I'm a freelancer.

Snake enthusiast survived hundreds of bites. Now his blood is aiding the search for a universal antivenom Blood from a snake enthusiast who's been bitten hundreds of times aided the search for a universal snakebite treatment

This is likely the weirdest and most interesting story you could read today. From @usha.bsky.social.
www.statnews.com/2025/05/02/d...

Why the Best Place for Climate Science Might Be at the Department of Defense Expect the DOD to swap the words "climate change" for "military preparedness"

For @sierramagazine.bsky.social, I wrote about some tiny hopeful news: a lot of climate projects are baked into the DOD's goals, so even though the word climate may not appear, "mission readiness" includes those efforts -- both now and in the future. www.sierraclub.org/sierra/2025-...

Such a pleasure to speak with Alan, Susan and Lawrence about their beautiful works of science and personal narrative. Read these books!

Participants » Festival of Books 2025 » L.A. Times - Festival of Books Find your favorite authors and celebrities in this alphabetical list of this year’s participants. View the schedule to learn more about each event.

Very excited to moderate a panel with Lawrence Ingrassia, Susan Weiss Liebman, Alan Townsend at the LA Times Festival of Books this weekend. Say hi if you're around Sunday! #latfob

events.latimes.com/festivalofbo...

Pope Francis receiving a warming stripes stole. Photo: Vatican Media

“Never have we so hurt and mistreated our common home as we have in the last two hundred years. Reducing greenhouse gases requires honesty, courage and responsibility. Those who will have to suffer the consequences will not forget this failure of conscience and responsibility.” — Pope Francis

“De-extinction” is to biodiversity loss what “Mars colonization” is to climate change—wishful thinking that is at its core impossible but nevertheless sucks up attention and resources from actual solutions to these crises (which, ultimately, might be the whole point)

‘Even a freeway is redeemable’: world’s largest wildlife crossing takes shape in Los Angeles A wildlife crossing across the 101 freeway will connect two parts of the Santa Monica mountains for animals

America’s arteries are clogged. THIS is the solution: ‘Even a freeway is redeemable’: world’s largest wildlife crossing takes shape in Los Angeles: www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025... by @kategammon.bsky.social via @theguardian.com #borderless

How Trump’s regulatory freeze is disrupting the US fishing industry From the Atlantic to Alaska, fishermen say overfishing and fleet delays are shaking up a $320 billion industry.

"Bluefish tuna were overfished in the mid-Atlantic this month because NOAA did not issue the regulation to close the fishery after fishermen filled the quota in mid-January."

Who could have predicted this! 🤷‍♂️

www.reuters.com/world/us/how...

You should check out Princeton's president. He's the real deal (I'm an alum).

You're very welcome. Thanks for reading and responding!

Trump’s ‘climate’ purge deleted a new extreme weather risk tool. We recreated it The Guardian has recreated a searchable climate future risk tool developed by Fema but then deleted

This is cool. The Guardian recreated a searchable climate future risk tool (wildfire, extreme heat, drought, hurricane, and coastal flood) for the US that was developed by FEMA but deleted by the Trump administration’s ‘climate’ purge.

‘God knows what’s in the water’: Los Angeles surfers in limbo as wildfire toxins linger In a city where surfing is a way of life, the wait to get back in the water has been agonizing. But new research offers a glimmer of hope

Also in the post-fire environmental world: surfers, swimmers and beachgoers have been worried about what is lurking in the ocean after the fire debris runoff. Some answers have finally appeared: www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

As fires burned in Los Angeles this year, newer toxin monitors found contaminants not measured by standard methods As fires burned in Los Angeles this year, newer toxin monitors found contaminants that aren’t measured by standard methods. Now scientists and officials are pushing for better detection

When the fires raged through LA, air toxins popped off the charts. But the AQI was often in the "good zone." That's because traditional air quality monitoring systems don't catch everything -- but some newer tech can. I wrote about it, for @sciam: www.scientificamerican.com/article/urba...