Portlanders: Tomorrow @powells.bsky.social, I’ll be talking with Perrin Ireland about her fantastic new graphic novel: “Poking the Squid: What we can learn from animal sex”

Great to see the NYT front page at least this story: www.nytimes.com/2026/07/03/c...

JUST POSTED: A large chunk of the $2 billion haul President Trump took in last year came as hundreds of thousands of his fans bet on a #$TRUMP memecoin. Trump won big. His followers, financially at least, were big losers as Trump profited at their expense. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/01/u...

"Last year, the administration stopped requiring states participating in the CDC’s FoodNet surveillance network to report several foodborne pathogens, including Vibrio...Critics argue it is harder to identify outbreaks before they become public health emergencies."

"The Trump administration has yet to directly accept the blame or formally release findings of a Pentagon investigation into the bombing, even though the military possessed evidence almost immediately that the site of the school had been struck, a U.S. official with knowledge of the situation."

Two people could be seen with a banner at the very top of the Empire State Building in New York City Wednesday afternoon. "When the power of love beats the love of power the world knows peace," the banner reads.

California's Inland Empire has one of the state's worst health care shortages. In this story, @melissamdaniels.bsky.social highlights an effort to "grow their own workforce". Reporting support from @chjreportinghealth.bsky.social.

Peter Navarro on Maria Bartiromo's show lies with impunity that "it's an indisputable fact" that Fauci "created that virus" and "killed people"

I wrote about the irony of Trump going to war with the Reflecting Pool algal bloom as his administration tries (again) to defund the institutions that keep people, pets and economies safe from harmful algal blooms newrepublic.com/article/2122...

Great examples of the value of ‘AI’ machine learning algorithms in highly specific contexts such as analyzing and identifying bird species—and even individuals—from audio recordings, and censusing birds from drone imagery. Not your typical ‘AI’ chatbots, these are actually useful.

I'm excited to share my latest piece, on how AI is revolutionizing bird conservation, out now in Audubon magazine. Shout out to illustrator, Sébastien Plassard, for the gorgeous art! Many thx to @jivelasquezt.bsky.social, @annavalbirdgal.bsky.social, @rgibbo3.bsky.social & others for their time!

Groceries. Water. Health insurance. Even rent. Climate change is starting to show up in all of these bills. For @bloomberg.com's Businessweek, Kyle Kim and I explore how a warming world is driving up costs — and why it's becoming a major economic issue www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

🚨 FY27 funding update: The House pushes back on USGS cuts—but proposes major reductions to EPA. From water data to earthquake alerts, these investments shape the science we rely on every day 🌎 Read what’s at stake + key numbers 👇 thebridge.agu.org/2026/06/15/f...

NYT investigates US car bloat: “About 200 to 400 pedestrians a year would not have died if vehicles had remained approximately the same size over the past quarter-century. That represents about 10 percent of the recent increase in pedestrian deaths.”

"I have spent more than 40 years in pulmonary and critical care medicine. I have seen children harmed by disease, poverty, by bad luck. I had not, until now, seen them harmed so methodically by their own government."

🎯

"The world is losing an estimated 324 trillion litres (85.6 trillion gallons) of freshwater each year, enough to meet the needs of 280 million people annually, according to a 2025 World Bank report."

War's environmental damage rarely makes headlines, but it should. The damage to natural ecosystems is real and long lasting. I spoke with Newsweek about the often-overlooked ecological toll of conflict that has been a focus of my research for over 25 years. www.newsweek.com/ecological-t...

My first born graduated from University of Oregon today! But it got sooo hot they had to stop the College of Arts and Science (the largest college) due to health concerns. We were lucky and she got to walk but many didn’t get to.

Get your tickets today! Science journalist, Lynda Mapes, will be talking about the Arctic—and the risks the region faces under the Trump administration—at @townhallseattle.bsky.social on June 18 at 7:30. Get tickets here—> nwscience.org

ATTENTION ALL ACADEMICS: If your university has discouraged you from leaving a public comment on the OMB rule proposal, WE NEED TO KNOW. Comment here, DM me, or email info (@) standupforscience (dot) net to tell @standupforscience.net your affiliation. Screenshots appreciated!

RFK Jr. claimed his calendar, including meeting details, is public. But those records have not been released — despite more than a year of FOIA requests from @statnews.com reporters. More on the state of transparency at HHS, w/ @chelseacirruzzo.bsky.social www.statnews.com/2026/06/11/r...

Pentagon on lockdown and floors evacuated as hazardous materials teams rush to defense facility

Published today in the leading scientific journal “Science”, by Erik Stokstad. www.science.org/content/arti...

“I’ve put a couple kids in the hospital, and they have been sick, but they recovered. But here’s the thing: I’m a pioneer. And I’m going against the grain here. I’m climbing a mountain they say you can’t climb.” The delusional stylings of Mark McAfee, whose raw milk farm makes $30 million/year.

So excited to see where this conversation goes! Perrin Ireland is the author of Poking the Squid: What we can learn from animal sex. Hope to see folks @powells.bsky.social on July 7 at 7pm. 🦑

Newest @modernretail.bsky.social podcast is live, taking a deep dive into the history of brands showing up for Pride Month, and what real allyship and community building looks like. #pridemonth open.spotify.com/episode/6VSF...

“The near-total absence of protective infrastructure means any intensification of heat would be catastrophic.” ....here comes Super El Niño.....

U.S. science must innovate or die, National Academy of Sciences president says www.scientificamerican.com/article/u-s-... | I remain unimpressed with how key institutions are handling all of this.

BREAKING: In an unsigned, per curiam opinion on the shadow docket, the SCOTUS conservatives allow Alabama to use a congressional map held repeatedly by a lower court to have been enacted with discriminatory intent.

Reminder: we're doing a Part 2 of this "What's a good day in science look like?" story. Do you have an interesting anecdote about a Eureka moment, unexpected collaborator, or failure that led to success? Send 'em my way! 🧪

Scientists--I'm a journalist looking for interesting examples of global health research that has managed to continue or adapt following the dismantling of USAID. Re-posts appreciated!

Breaking: Judge Jackson blocks NSF from dismantling NCAR. www.courtlistener.com/docket/72496...

I’m a climate scientist. Let me fix this headline. “Nearly a century ago, scientists showed that burning fossil fuels warms the planet. Today, we know human emissions account for over 100% of the warming. Yet dark money and disinformation still work to keep Americans addicted to fossil fuels.”

BREAKING: New proposed OMB regulation, applying to all federal grants, requiring grant reviews by senior political appointees and re-emphasizes that "peer review remains advisory and does not replace agency discretion". #standupforscience public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2026-10817.pdf

Kew to use dead trees to raise awareness about #climatechange

‘“I cannot look at animals the same way any more,” she says. Where others see a giraffe, say, Hunt fixates on the creature’s tail hairs, or wonders how much of its lifetime could be represented in its horns or hooves.’ By @virginiagewin.bsky.social

The US National Science Foundation (NSF) — a major funder of basic research — has restricted the flow of new research grants to a group of elite universities, Nature has learnt. go.nature.com/4ujNnkJ

Meet the biologists deciphering marine-mammal histories from baleen, whiskers and tusks - @virginiagewin.bsky.social @nature.com www.nature.com/articles/d41...

How to study the inner lives of whales, seals and other marine mammals? 🐋 🦭 Try making hormone measurements from baleen, tusks and blubber! @virginiagewin.bsky.social explores the fascinating world of 'wildlife endocrinology', new @nature.com www.nature.com/articles/d41... 🧪

“Whales, all along, were writing a life history journal in their bodies, only we didn’t know how to read it,” says Kathleen Hunt. My latest @nature.com story. Many thx to Dr. Hunt, now at Oregon State University's Marine Mammal Institute, and others for their time and insights.

"What we are witnessing today is not only a geopolitical crisis, it is a systemic shock to the global agrifood system," Qu said.

Good thing this isn't shaping up to be a horrific fire year 🔥 (dripping sarcasm) "The U.S. Forest Service treated roughly 35% fewer acres for hazardous fuels in 2025 than in 2024, a sharp decline that leaves communities across the West & Southeast more exposed to the risk of catastrophic wildfire"

"This lack of resources revives a “dark” memory from previous epidemics when many healthcare workers were infected and died."

Breaking news: The Trump administration is planning a government-wide nondisclosure agreement that bars federal workers from sharing a wide array of “confidential government information,” according to a draft notice.

“Since the 1930s, Louisiana has lost around 2,000 square miles of wetlands. Coastal Louisiana faces sea level rise of around 10 to 23 feet”

"The Inland Empire has just 42 primary-care physicians and specialists per 100,000 residents (recommended 60 to 80)—among the worst ratios in the state." Great story by @melissamdaniels.bsky.social, with support from @chjreportinghealth.bsky.social

The move would slow plans to phase out hydrofluorocarbons, or “super pollutants”, because of their enormous effect in driving climate change. The administration framed it as an effort to lower grocery prices that are testing voters’ finances before November’s midterm elections.”

Fun set of science stories. It never occurred to me that headbutting animals could be used for traumatic brain injury research, but of course it makes perfect sense.