The more I cover new pharmaceuticals, the more I want to meet people at WHO who do the international nonproprietary nomenclature. A new oral GLP-1? Orforglipron A newly approved antifungal for resistant yeast infections? Ibrexafungerp ...I want what THEY'RE having. Which is def a good time.

Oh the complicated feelings I have about this. (Not @ Bethany, I have talked about this with Bethany before, and I think this thread captures a lot of the issues.) Part of the complexity is that everyone's biology is different & so these drugs are doing VERY different things for different folks.

How about trying the Rat Potion ? 🧪✨🐀 Shrunk and sneak through previously inaccessible nooks and crannies. You might make some new friends, but it's best to avoid humans, they don't seem to like rodents very much... Unfortunately ! 🧀

You've heard of semaglutide (Ozempic/Wegovy), tirzepetide (Mounjaro/Zepbound). But there are new drugs coming, ones that leave these in the dust, and leave clinicians and scientists asking: Can people lose too much too fast? www.scientificamerican.com/article/new-... By me.

I love this I want to be slurped into the oblivion. In a non gross way get your mind out of the gutter. Spaghettification is not inherently sexual.

The Washington Post has laid off least 14 climate journalists, newsroom sources told @sammyroth.bsky.social, effectively decimating one of the most important reporting teams in American climate journalism. A sad, terrifying, enraging day for the planet.

Two rams go head to head in sheep shearing season: Bleated Rivalry

WaPo laid off one of the guys who broke Watergate. WATERGATE. They laid off a woman reporting in Ukraine while bombs fell around her. It's not just shameless and greedy. It's cruel.

This. And also "just start a paid newsletter" requires that you, yourself, are a BRAND that other people want to pay for! It's a possible niche for op-ed writers or culture. Most reporters are not that. Most reporters are names at the top of a news story you skip right past.

My hot take is that we should all be able to buy the gear bags with all outfits for the Olympics, winter and summer, and you get to pick which country. Because I'd make Canada, Norway, or UK my entire winter wardrobe.

Roses are red Wild violets are free Mind the frozen iguanas Falling from that tree www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/arti... By @bittelmethis.bsky.social

Hello it's Groundhog day which is one of two times in which the people around me remember groundhogs/whistlepigs/woodchucks exist* And friends and I were talking and we want to take a POLL. Please VOTE: How many Punxsutawney phils (the Official Hog) do you think there have been since 1887?

Because I needed another thing to keep me up at night. 😭 www.sciencenews.org/article/poor...

It's the end of the era of the mass market paperback. This makes me sad. As a kid these were the first "adult" books I read, the fantasy and sci-fi, and part of the reason I could grab them and gobble them was because they were so CHEAP! www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...

A thing I learned is that snow leopards communicate by scent marking, particularly peeing and rubbing on rocks. And they do it so well that a fresh mark can be smelled, very well, by humans....for MORE THAN A MONTH. Cat pee x 5000 www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/arti...

I lived in the original home of Krispy Kreme for years. A person took me out on a very awkward date I didn't realize was a date at the original Krispy Kreme with the original "hot" sign. And I just...they're so unsatisfying. Like they're EMPTY somehow. Anyway more for all y'all I guess.

A very good thread from @jayrosen.bsky.social, collected here & below skywriter.blue/pages/did:pl...

"When in doubt, draw a distinction." Not sure where he got it, but in grad school one of my teachers taught me that. This (long) thread is about the key distinctions I rely on as a critic. There's a Twitter version from 2021. This one builds on that one. I will post them one at a time. Ready?

Some of us rage, rage against the dying of the light. But it's also quite acceptable to laugh in its face.

Look you could try Hinge, or Tindr or Bumble. OR you could take the snow leopard route and pee on a bunch of rocks and YELL. It works for them! www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/arti...

You know how there was that trend that was like men are always thinking about the roman empire? I'm always thinking about the Columbian Exchange.

BEBE BLEP

Every time @beebrookshire.bsky.social starts posting on this thread again, it triggers a deep dive on all the weirdness I've missed. Go ahead. Treat yo'self. 🧪

Studying anatomy means learning a bunch of things and regretting it. like the potential to spread an infection into your brain because you strained to POO. Why. youtube.com/shorts/ysurW...

Looking for sources for a @nature.com story about how researchers are coping in the midst of current events: If you're a PhD or other academic who's struggling to focus with everything that's happening in the world and would like to be interviewed for this story, please get in touch ASAP!

Other sick part of being a journalist: Sometimes finding out for yourself. Baby bears are soft. And snuggle right into your jacket to stay warm and then fall asleep on your shoulder. Got HUGE FREAKIN CLAWS THO.

One of the best, and honestly most important parts of being a journalist is getting to ask these questions. The other day I got to ask someone just what exactly snow leopard pee smells like.

TIL about the Rrachial artery and the (squints) Cehalic vein?

This is bad not just because of the direct infections but there's growing research that suggests vaccines also stave off things (like dementia) that we don't typically associate with vaccine prevention.

Often I look at medical photography and illustration and I'm just awed and amazed by the art, by the detail of the human body, and by how complex human systems are. Other times I'm like "wait...why is this guy with a full on projectile wound not only sitting up straight...but wearing a HAT?!"

In times of stress, it turns out that even plants need to touch grass. Plant to plant contact helps them resist damage! I've always tried to keep my houseplants sort of spaced out but now I clearly need to let them hug. www.science.org/content/arti...

Pick up the nearest book. Turn to page 42, post the second sentence. “The brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis) can get up to ten feet long, but usually sticks to between three and five feet.” “Pests. How humans create animal villains” by @beebrookshire.bsky.social

Part of my prep for a big storm or time indoors is hunting and gathering. Gathering batteries, water, food, warm things. And hunting BOOKS. OBVIOUSLY. If you want to hunt books I'll be at the new Barnes and Noble in DC on F St. on Friday. stores.barnesandnoble.com/event/978006...

Hi, did you know that, at the same cold air temps, ground free of snowpack is COLDER than ground WITH snow?! A healthy snowpack makes a little warmish layer beneath it, an ephemeral ecosystem called the subnivium. And climate change could make it vanish. www.sciencenews.org/article/clim...

It is January, and some of you, my wonderful humans, are trying to get to the gym. And I love that and I welcome you with open arms but please please: 1. Clean up your things. Wipe equipment. 2. Re-rack your weights. 3. WERE YOU RAISED IN A BARN.

Did you know your fat comes in SHADES. And the different shades do different STUFF. And one might whisper soothing things to your arteries. www.nationalgeographic.com/health/artic...

FRIDAY if you live in DC, you can come to the BRAND SPANKING NEW Barnes and Noble on F street and I will be there and I can sign your book and we can talk about books and I might also be just like reading books because I am very helpless in a bookstore. stores.barnesandnoble.com/event/978006...

It is apropos of ABSOLUTELY NOTHING that I inform you that Norway does not give the Nobel Peace Prize, though the ceremony is in Oslo. Neither does Denmark. Independent committees decide the prizes. Most are given in Sweden. Norway is an exception. www.nobelpeaceprize.org/nobel-peace-...

This is true, when I was posting about how you get infections up into your brain from your face (oh yes), numerous ER nurses chimed in to tell me the one that horrified them the most: Infection from the TEETH. Up into the brain. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Oooo LOOK a new big very pretty ROCK apnews.com/article/sri-... Disappointing lack of really close photos of said rock.

It's the most wonderful tiiiiiime of the year Don't worry, most of the time, the iguanas are fine.

DC and DC-adjacent humans! There's a new Barnes and Noble opening on F St downtown, and they've asked me to do a signing for their opening! So if you head over next Friday we can hang out! And you can get my book! That is also nice. stores.barnesandnoble.com/event/978006...

I was telling someone I have to sing a funeral/memorial service this weekend, and she was like "that must be so hard" I said "oh it is, but I've got my penguin folder." Once I told her what this was and why I realized I think we all need Penguin Folders.

From the people that brought you the "war on Christmas" when Christmas definitely now starts in October, they bring you "the war on protein" Also this image slays me. It looks like they skinned RFK Jrs head and it's sort of an improvement. www.wired.com/story/rfk-jr...

You have fat that is BEIGE! And it's not because your organs are repainting the walls as part of a reno and hoping to sell for a higher price. No, beige fat can store energy...or BURN it. And it can whisper calming instructions to your arteries. www.nationalgeographic.com/health/artic...

Wikipedia worked for years to be transparent, show peer review, and get professors to say "ok you CAN use wikipedia as a starting point in your research journey" ...but now, GenAI scrapes its content, and people don't click through. www.scientificamerican.com/article/at-2...

VLADIMIR: Well? Shall we log off? ESTRAGON: Yes, let's log off. They do not log off.

People often think fat tissue--adipose tissue. Is white and black. Less is good, more is bad. That's not true. The issue of fat is white, brown and beige. And that last type whispers signals to your blood vessels, helping them to relax. www.nationalgeographic.com/health/artic...

Yup. This is true, all bruises are "internal bleeding". You can also be fancy and call them "contusions." I've got (looks at legs), three right now. You've probably got some.