I am fascinated by this idea that a color signal on a plant or animal is evidence of life — it takes work to evolve structures or organize pigments, it is a sign of work against the forces of entropy.

From this excellent story by @mollyherring.bsky.social: www.quantamagazine.org/when-did-nat...

AHHHHHHH

When Did Nature Burst Into Vivid Color? | Quanta Magazine Scientists reconstructed 500 million years of evolutionary history to reveal which came first: colorful signals or the color vision needed to see them.

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
My friend @mollyherring.bsky.social wrote another banger for you:
www.quantamagazine.org/when-did-nat...

How Paradoxical Questions and Simple Wonder Lead to Great Science | Quanta Magazine Manu Prakash works on the world’s most urgent problems and seemingly frivolous questions at the same time. They add up to a philosophy he calls “recreational biology.”

Manu Prakash invented “frugal science” tools that drastically reduce the cost of diagnosing malaria.Talking to @mollyherring.bsky.social, he discusses the advantages of following curiosity: “Observation is a practice, and if you don’t practice, you lose it.”

How Paradoxical Questions and Simple Wonder Lead to Great Science | Quanta Magazine Manu Prakash works on the world’s most urgent problems and seemingly frivolous questions at the same time. They add up to a philosophy he calls “recreational biology.”

Manu Prakash works on the world’s most urgent problems and seemingly frivolous questions at the same time. They add up to a philosophy he calls “recreational biology.”

@mollyherring.bsky.social: www.quantamagazine.org/how-paradoxi...

Five Bridges and a Hummingbird: Manhattan’s Ecological Oasis Cities may not seem like places full of natural wonder, but if you know where to look, life indeed abounds

My first piece published in @sierraclub.org Magazine, featuring NYC's ecological oasis, Randall's Island.

'Twas a joy to explore, write, and photograph!

www.sierraclub.org/sierra/five-...

Asteroid Samples Suggest a Solar System of Ancient, Salty Incubators - Eos The discovery of salty mineral evaporites on Ryugu indicates that watery environments may have been widespread in the early solar system.

Samples from asteroids Ryugu and Bennu suggest salty water was not rare in the early solar system!

So fun reporting on this new research for @AGU_Eos Magazine

eos.org/articles/ast...

Asteroid Samples Suggest a Solar System of Ancient, Salty Incubators - Eos The discovery of salty mineral evaporites on Ryugu indicates that watery environments may have been widespread in the early solar system.

Samples from asteroids Ryugu and Bennu suggest salty water was not rare in the early solar system. 🔭

Story by @mollyherring.bsky.social

eos.org/articles/ast...

A New, Chemical View of Ecosystems | Quanta Magazine Rare and powerful compounds, known as keystone molecules, can build a web of invisible interactions among species.

A study recently combined field work, chemical analysis and community ecology to examine rare and powerful “keystone molecules,” compounds that build invisible webs of interactions among species. @mollyherring.bsky.social reports: www.quantamagazine.org/a-new-chemic...

🧪

A New, Chemical View of Ecosystems | Quanta Magazine Rare and powerful compounds, known as keystone molecules, can build a web of invisible interactions among species.

I learned so much about the underlying alchemy of ecosystems while writing this article for @quantamagazine.bsky.social
www.quantamagazine.org/a-new-chemic...

How to build a swing The insides of my grandmother’s wrists are the color of ripe figs.

Dropping in with an essay every now and then :) open.substack.com/pub/herringl...

Grateful to have concept cells for Dewey in his formalwear. www.quantamagazine.org/concept-cell...

Meet the Eukaryote, the First Cell to Get Organized | Quanta Magazine All modern multicellular life — all life that any of us regularly see — is made of cells with a knack for compartmentalization. Recent discoveries are revealing how the first eukaryote got its start.

Is it possible to unscramble billions of years of genetics to trace back the origin of eukaryotes? Maybe, in the coming decades, thanks to burgeoning analytical tools.
www.quantamagazine.org/meet-the-euk...

Fish Have a Brain Microbiome. Could Humans Have One Too? | Quanta Magazine The discovery that other vertebrates have healthy, microbial brains is fueling the still controversial possibility that we might have them as well.

Microbiomes in the gut have major impacts on our digestion, our immune system, even our social skills. If microbes are present in the brain, it could reveal layers of neurological regulation that we never knew existed.
www.quantamagazine.org/fish-have-a-...