During my town hall, someone asked me what they could do to stand up to authoritarianism. Despite what the cynics say, you have power. All it takes is one person speaking up for somebody else. It is small acts that can change the course of this country.

Imagine if NPR had actually talked to safe streets advocates for this story and learned how the solutions to drivers killing people is not, in fact, victim blaming

More than 1800 detainees are missing after the closure of Alligator Alcatraz. Their families and lawyers can’t find them and they’ve vanished from the ICE database. Feels like this should be a much bigger story www.miamiherald.com/news/local/i...

Here's how to support my work: I'll be teaching a version of my Columbia class on Race, Media and International Affairs 101 and 102 next month for @resistanceschool.bsky.social. The course is online/ hybrid. Deadline is Sept. 19th! Sign up! www.resistancesummerschool.com/fall-2025-re...

And yes, I was the last Black full-time columnist in the Opinion section. Washington Post -- operating in a city which for a long time has been majority Black, is now without any full-time Black opinion writers.

Some personal news: I've been fired from the Washington Post in the aftermath of the Charlie Kirk shooting. Thread incoming. substack.com/@karenattiah...

Firing a Black woman for quoting a white man about how unintelligent he believes Black women are is a clear example of how misogynoir, white supremacy & ableism work together to harm Black women uniquely. That is how intersecting oppressions work.

i have said this before but when “getting rid of race in admissions” for the administration means “you can’t even try to reach out to underrepresented communities and encourage them to apply and if you do it is illegal discrimination against white people” then the actual goal here is segregation

Hey, so...Covid rates have gotten real high. Maybe change your behavior to fit this new risk profile? Stop eating indoors at restaurants, mask on mass transit, that kind of thing?

In which I beg archaeologists to sign up for the fall semester of Skype a Scientist, because we're getting buried in requests for your area of expertise. Sign up here: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Wanna know more about Einstein's anti-racist work, usually in collaboration with the great actor/singer Paul Robeson? I wrote about it for Smithsonian! (don't tell the White House) www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

Thailand urging holiday travellers to wear masks in the wake of the latest Covid variant Nimbus (nicknamed razor blade throat). We’re starting to see more & more media outlets discuss masking… which is highly unusual given they’ve been driving the “it’s over” narrative for years. Respirators work!

Is the Organometallic Express the first bakfiets bike in a chemistry journal? If you give a chemistry talk at Cal Poly Pomona, I’ll personally give you a campus tour on the Organometallic Express! See the farms, Arabian horses, rose garden, Japanese garden… #chemsky #bikesky @acs.org

Authoritarians thrive on your silence — be loud — for America.

Important to note that before I got the radwagon, I liked bikes and liked riding recreationally, but had only biked to work a couple of times. The ease and convenience of the electric cargo bike is really what changed things for me.

The lack of mainstream coverage of regular huge protests reminds me of a talk from a Twitter employees who explained that they had to drop BLM off the Trending Tags section because otherwise it would have been there permanently. The modern media environment has no appetite for sustained movements.

this makes me so many layers of mad. we waited almost two full years for our kid to finally have access to the Covid vaccine. He turns 5 this September, thankfully, but I think of the parents who actually care about this who are losing access to vaccines because our society is failing.

The “problem” with vaccines? They so effective at preventing deaths that they create generations of people that question whether disease was a problem in the first place because they have never experienced the horrors of a world without vaccines.

It is possible with existing technology to reduce energy use, reduce emissions and keep comfort constant by switching from mixed gas and electric towards a fully electric home equipped with high efficiency heat pumps. 🧪🔌💡☀️💨🌊🔋

The thing about living in a human society is you either decide that everyone (except those for whom it would be medically dangerous) has to take VACCINES into their bodies or everyone (with no exceptions at all) has to take VIRULENT PATHOGENS in from those around them and, look, the first is better.

Some happy news! I am the 2025 UC Santa Cruz Distinguished Graduate Alumni Award winner! Can the person who nominated me please identify themselves?? I want to thank you! alumni.ucsc.edu/events-progr...

Reposting with alt text because this is really such a fantastic example of how bike infrastructure supports all types of micromobility. And also makes protesting a little easier too!

Traveling soon? Stay protected during the COVID-19 surge by wearing a high-quality mask in crowded or indoor spaces like an N95, KN95 or KF94. Learn more: www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID...

I'm seeing quite a few developmental jobs at SLACs. I'm happy to chat with anyone who's thinking of applying (or if your students are applying). Doing dev work at a SLAC can be super rewarding but also brings a number of unique challenges.

Senator Murray: “We cannot let RFK Jr. burn what’s left of the CDC & our other critical health agencies to the ground—he must be fired. I hope my Republican colleagues who have come to regret their vote to confirm RFK Jr. will join me in calling for his immediate termination from office.”

The resignation letters are really worth a read. Searing and powerful. Some further details about the conflict over Covid vaccines. bsky.app/profile/mala...

Here’s some of what scientists told us: "The past five months are by far the worst I've experienced in my science career (from grad student to professor) over the last 30-plus years because we no longer know if there will be support for the work that we do, because science and research has…” +

Here’s a script to call your representatives and demand that they step up and advocate for everybody to have access to the updated Covid vaccines this fall. The health of the public is at stake. And so is freedom of all people to have the choice to protect themselves with safe, effective vaccines.

Illinois Gov. Pritzker vows to pursue Trump officials who participate in an illegal National Guard deployment to Chicago: "If you hurt my people, nothing will stop me - not time or political circumstance - from making sure that you face justice under our constitutional rule of law."

Riding bikes is fun bc you can park next to your friends’ bike… Then fail to find your friends in the crowd. Then get a text “you parked next to my bike!” as they’re leaving. Then find each other & hang out for 30 mins. If we’d driven, we likely wouldn’t have found each other. 🚲❤️

Breaking news: A federal judge is giving Florida 60 days to clear out the immigrant detention facility called Alligator Alcatraz. The ruling forbids state officials from moving any other migrants there.

The ideological cancellation of $800 million of scientific research grants because they supposedly focused on DEI was just backed by the Supreme Court. This is horrific on so many levels.

Illinois is launching a first-of-its-kind legal hotline for LGBTQ+ individuals — Illinois Pride Connect. As the only state in the nation that will provide free legal advice to protect the LGBTQ+ community, we'll help fight ignorance with information and cruelty with compassion.

Here's a short PSA for those invited by NSF program officers to serve as reviewers or panelists for the National Science Foundation. #NSF #chemsky Thanks! tinyurl.com/yc2xtc2d (last letter to the editor in series)

In 2004, it took many, many days to produce detailed tsunami models after the devastating Sumatra earthquake. Last night? Slip models were being produced and shared within hours. That’s federally funded science in action.

It is an extraordinary loss of intellectual expertise that the American people invested millions in developing Every scientist who earns a graduate degree in the US is the product of an investment by the public This is like setting money on fire

🌊❄️🧪 🇦🇶 Please share: We have learned that the National Science Foundation is moving ahead with plans to decommission the U.S. Research Vessel/Ice Breaker Nathaniel B. Palmer this October. If you care about Antarctic research, please read on (1/n)

PO just confirmed that our 5th percentile R01 is not getting funded. Past NCI Payline at 4 percent. Cant believe it.

“With these considerations, we expect to fund through the 4th percentile.” There it is, in black and white, the destruction of cancer research in the US.

"In the letter, the signatories warned that National Science Foundation grants now underwent a 'covert and ideologically driven secondary review process'...” www.nytimes.com/2025/07/22/s...

NSF staff release their appeal—slightly different format than the declarations of dissent from EPA/NIH/NASA; a more formal petition to Congress to redress attacks on the agency and its employees. 149 signatories (48 named) democrats-science.house.gov/imo/media/do...

Just finished Booster Shots by Adam Ratner. Thanks @heydebigale.bsky.social for the recommendation! It was a great read!

ICE just prevented me from entering an immigration detention facility in my district—a clear violation of federal law. Members of Congress have the right to immediately access these facilities. Listen here 👇

Our governments are forcing us to watch Palestinians starve to death A bipartisan endeavor We kept saying genocide and it has been and also that can make it hard to appreciate this is a new level to it Mass, irreversible starvation

You can actually see the shipping lanes in this air quality #dataviz of Nitrogen Oxides. Sources include vehicles, industry, and natural phenomena like lightning and are visible near urban areas, power plants, and roadways.