Making progress on this piece, won’t be much longer now. This drawing is about the awesome power of polynomials at approximating things, can you spot it?

If anyone still has some book shopping to do for the science lover in their life (all ages), may I recommend our gift guide? www.americanscientist.org/blog/science...

Check out our latest podcast. It's on a topic I would share with any parent--or just someone trying to figure their life out. open.spotify.com/episode/48cG... podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t... www.iheart.com/podcast/269-...

The country’s largest pharmacy chain said it needed a C.D.C. panel to recommend the shots before it could offer them nationwide.

Proud to receive the Grand Award (see, Dr. Kennish? All of my editorial nagging paid off!) but even prouder to be part of American Scientist's small but dedicated team of superheroes. You all astound me every day.

Wide-ranging, curiosity-driven research has led to enormous theoretical and practical benefits over the decades, ranging from anti-obesity drugs to the internet.

In a nutshell.

How are you going to call the national security advisor "Trump aide"?

Proud to announce that @americanscientist.org has won a Neal Award for an article that I edited: "Gliflozins for Diabetes," by Philip A. Rea. Even prouder of this talented and dedicated team that helps scientists explain their research to the public. www.americanscientist.org/article/glif...

EXCLUSIVE: University of Washington's IACUC has lost a three-year legal battle to keep its membership confidential. The university must now hand over its records to PETA, sparking fears that other universities could soon be forced to do the same. My latest for @science.org!

NEW: A DOGE recruiter told a Palantir alumni Slack group that AI agents could do the work of tens of thousands of government employees. He was met with 🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡 and custom emojis of a man licking a boot.

Among the impacts: The cuts will halt a first-of-its-kind study of the causes of thousands of firefighters’ cancer cases. propub.li/3GeQOWv

Breaking news: Harvard sues Trump administration in escalating confrontation, claiming $2.2 billion funding freeze violates Constitution.

As a former NPR reporter and ongoing stan of voice acting, every time I see this one Consumer Cellular ad, I think, "There's someone who does voice work for a living." Turns out I was right: This profile asks the ubiquitous Kristen DiMercurio for her thoughts on AI and the future of voice acting.

“It makes me think that if you really want to come and visit to do science, be on the safe side — bring a burner phone and empty laptop so this doesn’t happen to you.”

Fun!

As the U.S. measles outbreak surges, here's an illuminating look at changes in state childhood MMR vaccination rates over time. Ripley Cleghorn reports and crafts a striking series of graphics for @sciam.bsky.social 📈 www.scientificamerican.com/article/see-...

In a world of Matts, be a Derek.

As far as I can tell from this presser, Intuitive Machines' Athena lander is lying on its side on the Moon, whimpering and clinging to what energy it can muster. Relatable.

🚨🧪 We’ve been talking to scientists at rallies today across the country in DC, Boston, Seattle, and NJ. Here’s why scientists are “Dismayed, depressed, disgusted” and what they’re doing about it 🧵 ⤵️ for more #StandUpforScience #StandUpforScience2025 @nature.com

So long, Solar System. arstechnica.com/space/2025/0...

Ariana Grande's Oscars gown as the graph of f(x,y) = 1−exp(x⁶−15x⁴y²+15x²y⁴−y⁶): www.desmos.com/3d/ktg4co3cpm

Yesterday, Social Security Administration employees could read WIRED reporting on Elon Musk and DOGE. Since this morning, WIRED is inaccessible under a new policy to block employees reading the news www.wired.com/story/social...

Teaching citizens about science 🤝 Teaching students about being a citizen

For decades, the US government has painstakingly kept American science #1 globally—and every facet of American life has improved because of it. The internet? Flu shot? Ozempic? All grew out of federally-funded research. Now all that's being dismantled. 1/ www.technologyreview.com/2025/02/21/1...

For the love of god — and your own safety — turn off your read receipts www.vox.com/technology/4...

NEW: “Elon Musk’s Starlink is installed above all the buildings in the campus where we are now. Now the fraud work is running normally," a human-trafficking victim wrote. A WIRED investigation into reports of criminals running multibillion-dollar empires across Southeast Asia using Starlink: