Maybe try The Woman Who Smashed Codes by Jason Fagone.

Hey early career science/environment journos, Audubon magazine is hiring an editorial intern for the summer. Don't worry if you're new to birds, you'll learn. audubon.wd503.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/Audubo...

Tracy Kidder, Pulitzer-winning author who turned unlikely subjects into bestsellers, dies aged 80 Writer looked to topics such as computer engineering and life in a nursing home to produce richly researched books

Got hooked on Kidder from Mountains Beyond Mountains right before I joined PIH. I then devoured almost everything he wrote. Among the best narrative nf writers ever. So stylish and so thorough. What a body of work to leave behind. www.theguardian.com/books/2026/m...

Cover of "The Feather Detective: Mystery, Mayhem, and the Magnificent Life of Roxie Laybourne" by Chris Sweeney.

10/10 incredible that Roxie did so much while navigating a sexist, elitist field and persevered through it all. Innovating both how birds are sexed, IDing them from feather structure, and saving so much of the Smithsonian's ornithology collection from decades of neglect. And her forensic work! Wow!

Kristen Ruegg, bird genoscape project

Terrific ep of @bipisci.bsky.social on forensic #ornithology traces the fascinating life of world's 1st "feather detective"
Roxie Laybourne w/ author @cbsweeney.bsky.social here:

bigpicturescience.org/episodes/bir...

Also feat. Kristen Ruegg on using feathers to map migratory routes of #birds 🐦‍⬛ 🦜

After *years* of unpaid labor, the North Carolina State Museum officially appointed Roxie Laybourne as its staff taxidermist in 1937. I was delighted to find this clip while doing research for The Feather Detective. #womenshistorymonth #taxidermy #birds #BreakingGroundSkinningBirds

This was a lot of fun.

🍕🍕🍕

Moment Sir Elton John's pilot has to take action to avoid bird of prey Footage from the cockpit showed Sir Elton's pilot Duncan Gillespie having to take action as the plane was about to begin its ascent from the runway.

Elton John's private jet narrowly avoids bird strike in UK www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...

Amazon cargo plane makes emergency landing at CVG Airport after bird strike Emergency crews responded to the tarmac at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport after an Amazon cargo plane was forced to make an emergency landing.

An Amazon cargo plane made an emergency landing after striking a bird at ~3000 feet moments after taking off from Cincinnati. Cockpit filled with smoke but landed safely... www.wlwt.com/article/resp...

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A 1960 plane crash in Boston Harbor launched the career of the 'feather detective' and reshaped aviation safety.

How flying today is safer because of her: www.wcvb.com/article/boston-plane-cra...

The cover of “The Feather Detective” book in front of a green wall.

Highly recommended read!

I’m biased since Roxie has always been a hero of mine. But I’ve got to say this book makes you a bigger Roxie fan no matter what you know of her. And whether you’re a #bird lover or not too. She was such an incredible person that overcame so much and accomplished so much.

🤯 Such a freaking honor to see The Feather Detective on this list alongside some terrific books from absolute giants who I’ve long admired. Crazy. Thank you @sciam.bsky.social !

So great and gratifying to The Feather Detective on this list. Thanks @npr.org —and everyone who has picked up a copy or asked their library to do so. What a year.

09-46: The Feather Detective with Chris Sweeney - American Birding Association

Had such a good time chatting with Nate Swick for the @aba.org podcast. Talked a bit about repoting the book and a lot about Roxie and how wild a ride she had. www.aba.org/09-46-the-fe...

As a Somerville resident, this is an incredibly amusing rabbit hole. And my god there are some A++ quotes in that Seattle PI piece.

Fascinating ABA podcast this week, reviewing the life of Roxie Laybourne, an amazing female scientist who “may be the most influential ornithologist you've never heard of”.
#Ornithology

KPL Podcast logo. Book cover of "The Feather Detective" and photo of author Chris Sweeney.

We were thrilled to have author @cbsweeney.bsky.social talk to us about his book "The Feather Detective" on the 300th episode of the KPL Podcast. Listen here: kplpodcast.buzzsprout.com/1278428/epis...

Incredible book, I don’t think I’ve ever read a biography so quickly, I couldn’t put it down! 🪶

If you’ve not read The Feather Detective yet, what are you waiting for? You too may be inspired to volunteer to skin #birds at your local #museum. It has murders, airplane crashes, and the bad ass that is Roxie Laybourne

Order here: bookshop.org/p/books/the-... #mystery #truecrime #wildlife

Hunter Rescued by Police After Sinking into ‘Quicksand’-Like Mud: ‘The More He Struggled, the Deeper He Became’ A man in Maine unexpectedly found himself stuck waist-deep in mud during a hunting excursion and had to be rescued, authorities said.

A duck hunter in Maine got stuck in mud and nearly died last week. This is exactly what happened to Roxie Laybourne when she was collecting specimens off NC coast circa 1930s. Must be terrifying. people.com/hunter-rescu...

Whoever put together the NYT list of most influential magazine covers entirely overlooked city mags.

The Feather Detective: How Roxie Laybourne Pioneered Forensic Ornithology You wouldn’t know it, looking at the tiny elderly woman in the white lab coat bent over a table in a halogen-lit government office, you wouldn’t know she had spent her youth doing scien…

The Feather Detective – how Roxie Laybourne pioneered forensic ornithology www.themarginalian.org/2025/09/30/r...

Dudes cracked me up

Jeez talk about serendipity, from @washingtonpost.com review of Bobbi Brown’s new memoir.

nypl book of the day

The Feather Detective

Chris Sweeney

The remarkable story of the world's first forensic ornithologist, Roxie Laybourne, who broke down barriers for women, solved murders, and investigated airplane crashes with only a microscope and a few fragments of feather.

What a good cover from @science.org

If you're a fan of interesting nonfiction, learn more about Chris Sweeney's The Feather Detective, about Roxie Laybourne and the field of forensic ornithology, from our recent conversation about it at @brooklinebooksmith.bsky.social www.c-span.org/program/book...

12 Books to Read: The Best Reviews of August How Iran’s revolution shook the world, Matisse’s quest for light, a new generation of tennis champions and more.

Awesome to see The Feather Detective on this @wsj.com
Best Book Reviews of August list. www.wsj.com/arts-culture... If you're into #birds #mystery #history and #truecrime, this is a book for you.

The cover includes a picture of Laybourne surrounded by cabinets of dead birds preserved in a museum. She is shown as an older woman in blue suit with a serious expression. The birds are all colors from bright yellows and greens to red and blue.

Cracking the code of the feather barbules was the most important task she'd ever been assigned, the success of which could possibly save lives and make air travel safer for everyone. @cbsweeney.bsky.social, The Feather Detective. Fabulous book about Roxie Laybourne! #SundaySentence #Booksky #birds