Extraordinary footage of a sperm whale birth shows coordinated help from family and non-family members for hours after birth, social behavior usually associated with primates www.science.org/doi/epdf/10....
another thing about AI-enabled research is that academics in secure jobs will say this is economic exigency: "funding for humanities research is drying up so I might as well use this instead"
the earlier research on which we established our careers was supported by paid grad students
The Hood Canal herring should be starting to spawn right about now! I hope all these scoters mean there are herring eggs around to be feasted on 😍 they love to eat the eggs.
Such sad news. She was a brilliant scientist, a great science communicator and a real enthusiast for what universities can achieve #EmmaJohnston
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12...
This is one of my fave categories 😍😍😍 (* = extra cinematic IMO)
The Looming Tower*
The Black Jacobins*
The Age of Wonder
KATRINA by Andy Horowitz
And then if you’re talking recent history/sorta-current events:
Columbine by Dave Cullen
Bad Blood
War of the Whales*
Five Days at Memorial*
This article would have been better if it had been able to quote NOAA staff. 😭
mine is called sandbox.R 😌🏖️
WHEEWWWWWWWWWW:
"When we use generative AI, we consent to the appropriation of our intellectual property by data scrapers . . . We agree that we would rather deplete our natural resources than make our own art or think our own thoughts."
www.nplusonemag.com/issue-51/the...
An excellent thought-provoking read about what we as humans should be contemplating before we resist or resign ourselves to the GenAI revolution. Just one of several great quotes:
“Promote and produce original work of value, work that’s cliché-resistant and unreplicable, work that tries”
this is just wonderful 🙌
I know so many dedicated and brilliant scientists who work (and I guess now worked) at EPA. The loss of expertise and ability to make science-informed decisions will have lasting damage for our health. Academics and advocates will have to try to fill the gap.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/18/c...
When you live somewhere and disaster strikes, it makes no sense to pretend it isn’t personal. For me, there’s no other way to process terrible things than to make journalism. To my friends from home who went to Camp Mystic and Heart O' the Hills — this is for you.
thebarbedwire.com/2025/07/05/c...
STEM loves the myth of meritocracy—but the truth? It's built on unpaid labor, generational wealth, and financial sacrifice. For many, the cost of “doing science” is simply too high. This isn't a pipeline issue. It's a financial barrier. #HigherEd #EquityInSTEM
I've wanted to write this article for years. About my and other's struggles to even survive sometime in #academia. Thank you to the amazing editors at @plosbiology.org that gave me the forum to write this piece. #science
A pleasure to work with Eileen Sullivan on this story about the widening impact of federal job cuts, which have cascaded into the private sector as contracts are yanked. Entire fields are contracting dramatically, leaving many with nowhere to go. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/06/u...
We often assume fish biomass is lognormally distributed - but is that a safe assumption? We tested it! I am proud to have contributed to this [IMO great] paper ☺️📈🧮🐟
url:academic.oup.com/icesjms/article/82/5/fsa...
I needed to write about something that’s giving me hope, so I wrote about Independent Bookstore Day which is this Saturday. lithub.com/something-go...
It’s Seattle indie bookstore week this week! A lot of the bookstores have special events. This is how I found two of my local faves, Ridgecrest Books (wonderfully curated) and Eagle Harbor Book Co (great selection of surprise books wrapped in paper). www.seattlebookstoreday.com
This is incredibly cool: if you search for a condition that’s affected your family, the site returns stats on how much NIH has done for that disease, *and* a contact form for reaching out to tell your Members of Congress why you want to see them defend NIH.
Pass it on!
“Don’t trust everything you read on the internet.”
AI search results: what if I did tho
Your occasional reminder that eels are the most smuggled animal on earth; there's a $4-$5 billion per year black market trade in eels.
INTERPOL has called the trafficking of European elvers to Asia "Europe's ivory trade."
Sometimes joy is just another chance.
Every time you earnestly cite Worm et al 2006 in your piece about the state of the world's fisheries, one thread of a fisheries scientist's psyche is slowly tugged free.
This is such a great contribution to understanding Pygmy blue whales and their unique songs.. and showcasing the incredible diversity of life in the oceans that we still know so little about. #science #whales #BlueWhale
Please get in touch if you are up for chatting with recent U.S. fed employees about career paths!
Great article on the ongoing impacts of the Trump administration on fisheries in the NE Pacific, and the people whose livelihoods both support and depend on them. alaskabeacon.com/2025/03/10/f...
"In 2023, Miller was awarded NOAA Fisheries employee of the year...and in March 2024, she was promoted.
On Thursday afternoon, while on vacation in Hawaii, the federal biologist opened her work email on her personal phone to find she no longer had a job."
www.kuow.org/stories/noaa...
