New research shows other sharks stay away when tiger sharks are on the prowl. www.sierraclub.org/sierra/when-... @sierramagazine.bsky.social

Exceptional story about a lead surgeon’s first infant heart transplant. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/01/w... @thesundaylongread.bsky.social @nytimes.com By Simar Bajaj

How do you simulate a tree well burial to study the body’s response to hanging upside down in snow? Here’s how these scientists did it. open.substack.com/pub/joesprin...

I’m coming to this one late, but what a stellar longform feature on an overlooked sports journalist. @emilysohn.bsky.social’s @longlead.com story on SI’s Virginia Kraft is great. thecatch.longlead.com

During several years working as a sea turtle field biologist, I heard a few main calls from Hawaiian monk seals. I had no idea they had such a varied vocabulary underwater. My latest for @sierramagazine.bsky.social... www.sierraclub.org/sierra/growl... @noaa.gov

If you're looking for a great read this winter... joespring.substack.com/p/the-25-bes...

Midway Atoll has a new cam that allows you to see intimate moments in the lives of Laysan albatrosses. I wrote an article for @smithsonianmag.bsky.social about what to watch for... @friendsofmidway.bsky.social, @explorerwieteke.bsky.social www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

Grateful @smithsonianmag.bsky.social's Carlyn Kranking let me share a few of my favorite reads for the year end list of the top science books—titles by @carlzimmer.com, Ben Weissenbach, and Alex Hutchinson. www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

Loved this chat with the talented KT Bryden. open.substack.com/pub/joesprin...

Some recent classification changes gave me the chance to write about some of my favorite seabirds, the beautiful and quirky white-terns. joespring.substack.com/p/this-ether...

❗Reminder: The application deadline for the @theopennotebook.bsky.social early-career fellowship is this Friday, October 31. This fellowship is: ✅ Paid ($6,600) ✅ Part-time ✅ Remote ✅ Mentored ✅ Open to applicants anywhere in the world Learn more here: www.theopennotebook.com/early-career...

A brief review of the best environmental documentary I've seen this year—which you can watch for free. joespring.substack.com/p/so-much-de...

It's pub day for The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2025, and the whole Best American series. I'm so proud of this book and all the brilliant, beautiful writing @susanorlean.bsky.social selected for it. bookshop.org/p/books/the-...

Another great dispatch here from @aaasmassmedia.bsky.social fellow @amberonradio.bsky.social, on how native species can help Altadena recover after the fires. www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

So cool to see @rudymolinek.bsky.social's @smithsonianmag.bsky.social piece on the long, strange history of Teflon on the notable list for The Best American Science and Nature Writing. Thanks @jaimealyse.bsky.social jaimealyse.beehiiv.com/p/basnw25

Sometime around the turn of the 20th century, the sea mink disappeared from Maine's coastal waters. Its loss came during a rush of North American extinctions, but many today have never even heard of it. My latest for Smithsonian: #wildlife #maine #extinction www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

Great dispatch here by @jessicaleighhester.bsky.social on how researchers are studying seagull upchuck to learn about human pollution. www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

After a fun 5+ years, I'm ending my run as digital science features editor at Smithsonian. I’m so thankful to the talented editors and writers I worked with. I’ll be freelancing, writing a newsletter (below), and more. Please reach out if you have any writing or editing needs. joespring.substack.com

What are the environmental impacts of data centers? @amberonradio.bsky.social answers that question as A.I. increases the demand for more and more of them. @aaasmassmedia.bsky.social www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

A lone orca has been sighted several times swimming in the North Atlantic. @bybencassidy.bsky.social reports on what scientists know about the strange occurrence. www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

In a prison program in Ohio, inmates are rehabilitating injured animals. Olivia Young reports on their efforts. www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

It's been 166 years since a powerful geomagnetic storm created dazzling auroras and knocked out communications around the world. @danfalk.bsky.social reports on what could happen if the sun triggers another such event. www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

One of the best new science books I’ve read this year is The Explorer’s Gene. I had a chance to chat with its author, Alex Hutchinson, about why we explore. joespring.substack.com/p/why-do-we-...

In North to the Future, Ben Weissenbach vividly chronicles how Alaska is changing as the climate warms. I called the author up to learn more about the best field research book I've read this year. joespring.substack.com/p/this-vivid...

Animal life took on a stunning variety of new forms and behaviors during the Cambrian. @restingdinoface.bsky.social explores why in this illuminating essay. www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

Can scrolling on your mobile phone really cause "brain rot"? @amberonradio.bsky.social digs into the science in this in-depth feature. www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu... @aaasmassmedia.bsky.social

How do animals react to our noise? Sometimes in quirky ways, but often in ways that indicate they're stressed. @oliviaferrari.bsky.social reports on some notable responses. www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

How did dinos woo each other? @restingdinoface.bsky.social takes a look at the fossils offering clues. www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

In my latest for @smithsonianmag.bsky.social, I visit the largest uninhabited island in the South Pacific and tell the story of how its descendants have fought to keep it mostly untouched. Big thanks to @joespring.bsky.social for the collaboration and edits! bit.ly/4n9r0uV

The South Pacific island of Tetepare hasn’t held a permanent human settlement for most of the past 160 years. @zachtheiler.bsky.social‬ reports on what that has meant for the island and its former inhabitants. www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

Once upon a time, whales walked on land. @restingdinoface.bsky.social reports on some of the most notable species among them. www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

If you're looking for a good book... joespring.substack.com/p/the-25-bes...

Can cannabis cause schizophrenia? Researchers haven't found a direct causal relationship, but they are conducting some interesting studies exploring possible connections. Lillian Ali reports. www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

Astronaut Jim Lovell died yesterday. The determined explorer led a remarkable life. www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonianm...

Federal fisheries scientist Sarah Cierpich told me about all the important work she did, before she was fired. This is the first in a series. If you know a fired federal scientist willing to talk about their work, they can reach me on Signal @joespring.67 joespring.substack.com/p/i-helped-c...

Scientists at MIT have created a prothesis that is directly integrated with muscle and bone. @amberonradio.bsky.social reports on the innovation. @aaasmassmedia.bsky.social www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

Once upon a time, large bone-crushing dogs roamed across our continent. @restingdinoface.bsky.social takes a colorful look back at the lives of the successful carnivores. www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

People from South Asia to the Pacific Islands munch on betel nut to get high. @amberonradio.bsky.social reports on a new study that suggests they've been doing so for several thousand years. www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu... @aaasmassmedia.bsky.social

Good piece here by Serena Jampel on A.I. and Indigenous language. www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

What do you do after you've been beachcombing for roughly 40 years? This guy opened up a museum, and has quite the eclectic collection. joespring.substack.com/p/welcome-to...

Did you know T. rex was the last of its meat-tearing family? Here are some of the varied tyrannosaurs that came before the world's most iconic dino. Courtesy of @restingdinoface.bsky.social www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

Re-upping this one. Today is the 100th anniversary of the conclusion of the Scopes "monkey trial." Earlier this year @danfalk.bsky.social took a look back at the trial and its impact. www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

For @smithsonianmag.bsky.social, I wrote about the environmental harms of deep-sea mining. Companies looking to mine the deep-sea claim that the practice is sustainable, while its minerals are needed to build more renewable technologies. Scientists disagree. www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

How will deep-sea mining affect the environment? @amberonradio.bsky.social reports in her first feature for @smithsonianmag.bsky.social. Another great story by a @aaasmassmedia.bsky.social fellow. www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

Harpy eagles have a 6.5-foot wingspan and perhaps the largest talons of any birds at three to four inches long. In an extremely rare occurrence, one attacked an adult woman. @joshualearn.bsky.social reports why. www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

Giant sloths the size of elephants once shuffled across the woodlands of the Americas. @restingdinoface.bsky.social explains why they evolved, and what changes to the Earth might allow more such gigantic creatures to arise in the future. www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

For a long time researchers thought ADHD was a condition that mostly affected children, primarily boys. But as Daliah Singer reports here, women are increasingly being diagnosed with ADHD. www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

Space junk falling back to Earth is increasingly becoming a problem. Eventually, says astronomer Samantha Lawler, “someone will die from this.” @danfalk.bsky.social reports... www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

What is life like for Central Park's first known coyote couple? Two photographers have been documenting the canids comings and goings for years. www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu... Story by ‪@davidlei.bsky.social‬ and Jacqueline Emery

A growing class of scientists is learning how plants, plankton and sea spray release elements that can shape giant features like clouds. @maxlevy.bsky.social profiles their work, and shares how it will help other researchers more accurately predict climate. www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...