Red wolves -- the "wolves of the South," as I think of them -- is one of the world's most endangered canids. So I was intrigued to hear Colossal Biosciences claim to have cloned the species. My latest, the cover story of the upcoming "Nature" issue of @technologyreview.com:
ter.li/3475yjiw
Maybe I'll print out the direct deposit statement from my bank, lol. (Though my check will actually come from the Food & Environment Reporting Network anyway...)
Thanks to the team at @thefern.org for prompting me to dig into it, and making this happen
The New Yorker has long been the magazine I've read closest, most frequently, etc. My model for an ideal magazine. So delighted to have this byline, about a phenomena that's perplexed me for more than a decade. www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...
So glad to have it out! (And I just fixed the "share" card so now the appropriate image should appear when others share it, too!)
This week's Top 5 #longreads:
• ICE fighter, @spiegel.de
• Tectonic researcher, @highcountrynews.org
• Prairie preserver, @noemamag.com
• Regal grandmother, Southlands (@boyceupholt.bsky.social)
• Wild timekeeper, @emergencemagazine.bsky.social
longreads.com/2026/01/16/t...
Thanks, Ben!
you'll have to wait a few years, but the plan for book 2 is to focus on this -- though through the lens of meat in particular
This week Jesse talks to Southlands founder and editor @boyceupholt.bsky.social about Southerners' relationship to our natural surroundings — and about a new book Upholt has also written, about the history and destiny of the Mississippi River. theprogressivesouth.org/headlights-e...
Love seeing @anyagroner.bsky.social's feature for Southlands on this list. (Ugh, do we need a Southlands bluesky account?)
lol
Love seeing these land in mailboxes!
With Southlands Issue No. 01 getting set to ship next week -- it's time to start thinking about the next issue! See pitch guidelines here:
docs.google.com/document/d/1...
"Disconnected from the grid after Hurricane Ida, New Orleans went without power for 10 days. That dark week marked the beginning of a social movement that has become a political cause."
@boyceupholt.bsky.social spoke w/ New Orleanians fed up with unaccountable energy providers and ready for change.
When Places Journal asked if I wanted to write about "climate urbanism" in New Orleans, I decided to tackle what felt like the most pressing problem: our rickety old electrical grid. The reporting was, by turns, frustrating, terrifying, and empowering.
placesjournal.org/article/powe...
Y’all! I’m nervous about it, but I’m gonna be live on a PBS News Hour “Tipping Point” special about the Mississippi River on Wednesday night. Tune in here at 6pm CST, July 16:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLoq...
thanks for reading, Mike. Such decisions are beyond my pay grade at Smithsonian, but as someone launching my own pub I can say it makes for complex decisions. I’m not convinced paring back on support for good publications is the best way to fight Trump in this moment.
Thanks for sharing, @barryyeoman.com
Ten-ish years ago, I contemplated the academic path, and a PhD in environmental history. I decided that journalism might be more lucrative and (yikes) jury is still out. But it's a field that means a lot to me, so I'm so honored by this review!
The Corps, in its letters, cites a series of letters the agency received from Gordon Dove (new head of the state's Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority). Seems important that those get in the hands of a reporter so we can better see what's going on here...
I'd like to know a lot more about what Landry at el considering worrying in the withheld report (which is here: www.mvn.usace.army.mil/LinkClick.as...). What he leaves out, too, is how the Corps cites the state's new reluctance to build this thing as changing the economic analysis
Here is Landry's melodramatic tweet, describing this as a Grisham-esque legal thriller and accusing former Gov. John Bel Edwards of withholding information. BUT...
x.com/LAGovJeffLan...
This is big news that I wish I had the capacity to drill into much further www.nola.com/news/environ...
Someone commission this, please
I love a good bridge but also -- these last remaining forests matter so much...
www.tclf.org/environmenta...
Seeking artists and illustrators who love to spend time outdoors in the South. If you know anyone who fits that bill, please link me to their portfolio 🙏
Most of the flora and fauna are adapted to it — this is what big rivers do! — and the levees will protect most of us, but there are definitely some low spots that will be hard for farmers to drain. It’s just gonna be tough on tow boats and give the Army Corps a lot of work!
Get your eyes on the Mississippi, y'all. We haven't seen anything like this since I started writing the book in 2020. Or more than that: my friend John Ruskey is telling me in his 30 years on the river he's never seen it come up so fast.
Thanks, NASA, we're doing great down here...
earthobservatory.nasa.gov/topic/natura...
