Psychedelic drugs are known for their ability to reveal sides of the self that previously lay hidden. For some people, this can lead to a change in sexual orientation or gender identity. www.bbc.com/future/artic...

Mixing is a fundamental process that functions like a heartbeat for lakes. But at iconic lakes around the world, climate change is slowing or even stopping that heartbeat - causing profound impacts to these very special ecosystems. @quantamagazine.bsky.social www.quantamagazine.org/mixing-is-th...

Should aging be considered a disease? Some scientists argue that this would accelerate anti-aging research; others say it makes no biological sense and would be fraught with ethical implications @nature.com www.nature.com/articles/d41...

It's hard enough to get people interested in reading these days, but this is a new low. A book club wants to feature my book - but only if I "tip" each reader $15-30 "to recognize [their] effort." Is this a thing now??

After 263 African elephants were moved from one national park to another, the animals began wandering out - destroying property and killing people. My latest for @biographic.bsky.social, on the complexities of conservation in an increasingly crowded continent. www.biographic.com/the-wild-ele...

When this scientist realized there was a maggot living inside his armpit, he sensed a (gross) opportunity for discovery. www.science.org/content/arti...

Psychedelic mushrooms evolved their magic twice, in two distantly related groups of species. What's more, those mushrooms take radically different biochemical routes to producing psilocybin. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/18/s...

A Taiwanese- and Chinese-run Buddhist orphanage in Malawi is recruiting vulnerable children into the illegal wildlife trade. Behind it all is a Chinese ivory kingpin who Malawian officials are about to release early from prison. @economist.com www.economist.com/1843/2025/10...

Spooky will-o'-the-wisp 'ghost fires' are caused by even stranger chemistry. www.scientificamerican.com/article/mars...

People are more likely to cheat when they use AI - especially if they can indirectly steer an LLM toward dishonesty instead of explicitly telling it to lie. @sciam.bsky.social www.scientificamerican.com/article/peop...

Fascinating story about the impact of climate change on Burning Man - and with a few quotes by yours truly ;) @kqednews.kqed.org www.kqed.org/science/1998...

"If this wall and a few others are built, he said, “there will be no jaguars in the U.S. soon.”"

We should all just make the switch to pet rabbits. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/29/c...

The Sonoran Desert toad secretes a powerful psychedelic drug as a defensive mechanism. Now, people are pushing the species toward extinction in the name of healing and consciousness expansion. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/10/c...

In infants, a healthy gut microbiome is key for developing a healthy immune system. But in the U.S., 75% of babies are deficient in critical types of bacteria, and these babies are more likely to development of asthma, allergies and eczema as toddlers. bit.ly/4lK1Mmd

Cuts to science funding by the Trump administration are set to negatively affect all Americans. One group most impacted, though, are science students and early-career researchers who are being robbed of their future. @sciam.bsky.social www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-...

The Senate's new bill would cut $1 trillion from Medicaid, causing 10+ million people to lose insurance. Cancer patients are one group set to suffer (and needlessly die) the most. 1 in 10 adults and 1 in 3 children with cancer depend on Medicaid. www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/canc...

Eagles are sacred to Native Americans. But poaching and trafficking of eagle feathers is on the rise, thanks to the powwow industry & the increasing popularity of peyote ceremonies. In Oklahoma, two fiery Comanches are trying to do something about it. @audubon.org www.audubon.org/magazine/nat...

Source help request: I'm hoping to interview a cancer patient insured by Medicaid, who now faces risk of their treatment not being covered thanks to Republicans' proposed Medicaid work requirements. Please DM or email me at rachelnuwer@gmail with leads.

The other truffle foragers: foodie gorillas! @sciam.bsky.social @wcs.org www.scientificamerican.com/article/gori...

Shorn horns - not guns - is the most effective way to protect rhinos from poachers. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/05/c...

“I think we will build a sustainable future,” Wagner says. “But it’s going to take 30 or 40 years, and by then, it’s going to be too late for a lot of the creatures that I love.”

Continuing the birds-are-awesome theme: Hummingbirds in California have evolved new beak shapes and massively expanded their range—thanks to feeders. They've basically become the equivalent of backyard pigeons! @science.org www.science.org/content/arti...

Human preference for smooshed, baby-like faces has produced pedigreed cats and dogs that are more similar to each other than to their wild relatives, and have such distorted skulls that they could not survive in nature. www.scientificamerican.com/article/bree...

Yet more evidence that birds are awesome: Flamingos harness the physics of fluid flow to create vortices that sweep up prey and funnel it directly into their mouths. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/12/s...

Why scientists fear that efforts to bring dire wolves, woolly mammoths and other extinct animals back from the dead could hurt survival for still-living species www.bbc.com/future/artic...

Some people like to think of themselves as good multitaskers, but bats do it better. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/22/s...

It's Earth Day. Here's a story about the best actions we can take to reduce our overall impact on the planet. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/21/c...

A leading vaccine researcher's top new worries for the future: 1) lots of people, especially children, are going to die 2) we're going to lose a generation of new scientists, because who wants to go into a career that's actively being condemned @nymag.com nymag.com/intelligence...

Drugs that eliminate wakefulness, obscure cannabis molecules and wearable devices that modulate brain activity are just a few of the new treatments researchers are investigating to tackle chronic insomnia. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Source request: Anyone know a health-related scientist, postdoc or PhD candidate who has lost their funding as a result of the new U.S. administration, and has had to close their lab, change careers or stop an important line of research as a result?

Natural gas appliances are a huge source of greenhouse gas emissions and, in the case of stoves, pump toxic pollution straight into your home. Here's what to think about if you're considering switching to electric. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/07/c...

Here's why Signal is the best app for privacy - but still shouldn't be used to share war plans (even if you plan to cause a global economic meltdown a few days later that makes people forget about those shared war plans) @thebulletin.org thebulletin.org/2025/04/the-...

The shingles vaccine seems to protect against Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. If you're over 50, get vaccinated! And encourage loved ones over 50 to do the same. I immediately texted my parents when I saw this study. @sciam.bsky.social www.scientificamerican.com/article/shin...

How do near death experiences arise in the brain? Neuroscientists propose the first comprehensive scientific model to explain the otherworldly phenomena. www.scientificamerican.com/article/are-...

One more reason to hate video conferencing: People are judging you based on the quality of your microphone. www.scientificamerican.com/article/to-w...

TLDR: Paper bags aren't as great an alternative to plastic bags as they might seem, and we all have way too many reusable totes. For lugging our stuff around, the best thing we can do for the planet is invest in just a few totes and then use them religiously. www.nytimes.com/2025/03/24/c...

Nothing says "Happy Valentine's Day" like hummingbirds in a polycule! www.nytimes.com/2025/02/14/s...

For all the dog lovers, here are the best ways to reduce your pet's environmental poo-print on the planet! www.nytimes.com/2025/01/27/c...

It wasn't long ago that sleeping sickness infected 40,000 people a year. Now, infections are down to less than 1,000/yr, thanks to a concerted effort of a small international team. But those last cases will be the hardest to stamp out. @nature.com www.nature.com/articles/d41...

How a poor night of sleep cultivates toxic, intrusive thoughts - suggesting a link with mental health disorders like PTSD and depression. www.scientificamerican.com/article/bad-...

Multiple studies are in the works to see whether and how autistic people could benefit from psychedelics. Testing how this specific group of people responds to treatment is important, because autistic brains differ from neurotypical ones. @science.org www.science.org/content/arti...

The human brain is sometimes called the most complex machine in the universe - but we wildly overestimate it. It outputs thoughts at a ridiculously slow 10 bits per second, and all the knowledge it can store could fit on a small thumb drive. www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-...

A man in Florida was tragically killed after his surgeon mistook his liver for his spleen (and then tried to cover the mistake up). These kinds of egregious medical errors - called "never events" - are more common than you might think. @nymag.com nymag.com/intelligence...

Smiling might actually boost your mood, while frowning might drag you down. www.scientificamerican.com/article/forc...