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...

Islands are often spoken of as isolated laboratories of evolution. But organisms can fly, raft, and even walk to islands, allowing creatures like terrestrial crocs and lemurs to hang on there millions of years longer than their mainland counterparts. I’ll tell you more at Smithsonian. 🧪

Islands are much more than laboratories of evolution. As @restingdinoface.bsky.social writes, they can also act as refuges for forms of life that have gone extinct elsewhere, respites for creatures that swim, raft, and even walk to the landmasses. www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

Why would two sandhill cranes adopt a Canadian gosling? And what will happen to the youngster? Here you go... www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

The eastern hellbender—aka the lasagna lizard, snot otter, and devil dog—might seem like a hard creature to love. But not for a city that knows as goes this salamander so goes the health of nearby streams and rivers. www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

Recent vaccine announcements are leading to a lot of confusion. We asked four knowledgeable physicians what people should know about Covid vaccines right now. Shreyas Teegala and Simar Bajaj report. www.smithsonianmag.com/articles/six...

Bird feathers are inspiring so many diverse innovations, on everything from solar panels to drones. @ianrosewrites.bsky.social reports on some of the coolest advancements for @smithsonianmag.bsky.social. www.smithsonianmag.com/articles/eng...

Why have meat-eating plants remained relatively small over Earth's history? @restingdinoface.bsky.social with the story. www.smithsonianmag.com/articles/car...

Encouraging animal rehab story here, on all the folks helping bears recover after being rescued from bile farms in Vietnam. Ryley Graham reports. www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

Since overfishing brought them to the edge of extinction in the U.S., Atlantic Sturgeon are bouncing back. @bybencassidy.bsky.social with their story. www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...