Does using generative AI, like ChatGPT, affect our critical thinking? Check out my new piece, where I sift through initial research and figure out what we know and don’t know. undark.org/2025/09/12/c...

Now on @sciam.bsky.social: Is Golden Dome, Trump’s missile shield plan, destined to be a pillar of U.S. defense or a trillion-dollar boondoggle? Even the experts don’t know—which probably isn’t a good thing. Important story by @raminskibba.bsky.social. www.scientificamerican.com/article/u-s-...

Finally looks like the AI bubble is reaching its limit. Most AI companies are not profitable, and according to a new MIT report, 95% of companies investing in generative AI are getting zero returns on all that money. www.ft.com/content/3391...

Come join me, @jasonkoebler.bsky.social, @sabs.bsky.social, and @maddiebender.bsky.social on October 24, for a virtual session discussing “How Worker-Owned Media Outlets Can Work.” It’s one of a bunch of events kicking off the national Science Writers meeting! #SciWri25 sciencewriters2025.org

This is described as a "major shift" that's happening now, but Silicon Valley companies have been working with the military-industrial complex for a decade. It's not new! www.nytimes.com/2025/08/04/t....

Well this is troubling. Eighty years after the US bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki, with a horrific civilian toll, it seems like we've learned nothing. www.wired.com/story/nuclea...

NASA's been talking about nuclear vs solar on the moon for years, and I guess they're now committed to launching and building a nuclear reactor. I don't know, maybe it'll work? Seems much more expensive than solar, though yes, it won't come with location limitations. www.politico.com/news/2025/08...

I liked this Harper's essay by Pankaj Mishra, excoriating American intellectuals, writers, and institutions, for failing to resist imperialism and authoritarianism at home — a failure that began before the Trump era. harpers.org/archive/2025...

I always loved “Poisoning Pigeons In The Park”! We need more musical satire today! www.theguardian.com/music/2025/j...

I wrote eight years ago about how Trump allies at the Heartland Institute would love to overturn the endangerment finding and undermine environmental protections at the EPA. It seemed unthinkable. But now they’re trying to make it happen. www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-...

"There’s no indication in Pew’s research that people understand how faulty the technology that powers Google’s AI Overview is, or how it is quietly devastating the entire human online information economy that they want and need." www.404media.co/googles-ai-i...

Why Fire Island Has Seen an Explosion of Feral Cats www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

This is so upsetting. My family and I have always loved PBS programs and NPR stations in the states we’ve lived in. Many local news stations will be hit hard by this, and some in rural areas may close. Support your local news! They need it. www.npr.org/2025/07/18/n...

I heard the sound of a thunder, it roared out a warnin’ Heard the roar of a wave that could drown the whole world Heard one hundred drummers whose hands were a-blazin’ Heard ten thousand whisperin’ and nobody listenin’ pitchfork.com/news/kronos-...

Media outlets can't pivot to AI to save themselves. It's not a business strategy and it's not going to work. The only path forward is for journalists to lean into their humanity, to do things AI can't, and to make clear they are writing for people, not algorithms: www.404media.co/the-medias-p...

I’m a cat person, but I must reluctantly admit that invasive cats can be harmful—in this case to piping plover shorebirds on Fire Island. Check out my story for @biographic.bsky.social magazine! www.biographic.com/fire-island-...

Fire Island Has Gone to the Cats In New York’s only federal wilderness area, the loss of a key predator has led to the rise of a new one—with dire consequences for the island’s native birds. by @raminskibba.bsky.social www.biographic.com/fire-island-...

This seems like a bad idea to me. Yes, it's a huge problem that refugees have often been dehumanized for political gain, but AI avatars cannot rehumanize them.

What's happening to global health now that Trump's withdrawing the US from...everything? The Gates Foundation—already a major player—is now filling that power vacuum, for better or worse. Check out my new piece for @undark.org! undark.org/2025/07/02/g...

Trump has now unilaterally bombed Iran, despite the entire US intelligence community’s longtime consensus that Iran has no military nuclear program.

As an Iranian-American, my heart breaks as jingoistic Republicans and Israeli leaders call for war against Iran. www.npr.org/2025/06/17/n...

I *HATE* AI summaries on Google and elsewhere, for multiple reasons, and I’m glad to see Wikipedia reconsidering this. www.404media.co/wikipedia-pa...

Journalists covering protests, SPJ has you covered. Check out our resource page with safety tips, legal info and reporting guidance. As protests continue to shape narratives nationwide, journalists play a crucial role in delivering accurate and impactful stories. 🔗 www.spj.org/resources-fo...

MISSED TODAY'S EVENT? Join us for the final Science Writers Roundtable: Covering Trans Health. In support of accurate and sensitive reporting, a panel of science journalists will share tips from their experience covering trans health issues. Register for the June 17 event: www.nasw.org/sciwrir...

Correction: the rubber bullet was likely shot by the police, not the National Guard.

An Australian journalist was shot with a rubber bullet in LA by the National Guard! This is the first time since the 60s that the feds deployed such troops without a governor's consent. laist.com/brief/news/4...

Looking forward to this virtual event *tomorrow* at 10 am Pacific / 1 pm Eastern time! It's called "Breaking News in Turbulent Times," with Vittoria Elliott (Wired), Alejandra Borunda (NPR), and Dave Levitan (Splinter). It's open to everyone, but come join us at NASW!

Looking forward to this virtual event *tomorrow* at 10 am Pacific / 1 pm Eastern time! It's called "Breaking News in Turbulent Times," with Vittoria Elliott (Wired), Alejandra Borunda (NPR), and Dave Levitan (Splinter). It's open to everyone, but come join us at NASW!

Jared Isaacman may have had problematic ties to Musk, but I worry his replacement could be more willing to facilitate Trump’s proposed cuts to NASA’s science programs www.politico.com/news/2025/05...

Science, climate & tech journalists: join me & my @sciencewriters.org colleagues for this virtual event on Thursday, “Breaking News in Turbulent Times”! Speakers include @telliotter.bsky.social (WIRED), @alejandrabee.bsky.social (NPR), @davelevitan.bsky.social (Splinter) www.nasw.org/sciwriroundt...

There should be Congressional hearings about RFK Jr’s MAHA report. Not only is this shoddy work, but apparently he and his staffers couldn’t be bothered to write it properly and instead published ChatGPT output. www.notus.org/health-scien...

IN ONE WEEK: Join us for the second Science Writers Roundtable: Breaking News in Turbulent Times. Journalists will discuss how to connect to audiences in an increasingly chaotic and news-hostile environment. Membership not required. Register for the June 5 event: www.nasw.org/sciwrir...

I liked this @citationspod.bsky.social episode, taking down the anti-science posturing by certain politicians, and their bad-faith attacks on federally funded research. Science journalists have covered these issues well, but we’re in the minority.

Donald Trump has been engaging in a multifront offensive against the news media, and press freedom more generally. #SEJournalWatchDog Opinion catalogs the transgressions. www.sej.org/publications...

John Oliver examines "Trump & The Press" on the newest episode of @lastweektonight.com >> "Fundamental rights and freedoms are worth fighting for, and this is one of the fights that nerds who work in newsrooms can actually win, mostly because it doesn't require any upper body strength!"

Climeworks’ carbon capture facility in Iceland can’t even capture ITS OWN EMISSIONS! I was always a little skeptical of carbon capture, but I kept an open mind. Maybe the tech will improve, but it’s not looking like a climate solution. Nothing beats decarbonization. heimildin.is/grein/24581/...

It certainly looks like Twitch streamer Hasan Piker was targeted, detained, and interrogated by border agents because of his free speech critical of Trump administration policies.

Just like during the 1st Trump term, the administration's trying to erase the existence of momentous societal costs of climate change, as a way to undermine much-needed regulations. Many climate scientists & economists say it should be at least $200/ton of carbon. www.nytimes.com/2025/05/10/c...

AI chatbots are so helpful that insurers have to step in to cover impacts of AI errors! But they'll only pay up if chatbots "hallucinate" more than 15% of the time. www.ft.com/content/1d35...

More good news: Rümeysa Öztürk has been released! Just one week after Mohsen Mahdawi was freed. All students and scholars who have been detained for their speech should be free.

The World Health Organization has long received plenty of criticism, even before Trump came along, but every expert I've talked to argues for particular reforms, not for abandoning the WHO. Check out my latest piece for @undark.org! undark.org/2025/05/07/w...

Oregon's now trying to accomplish what California failed to do last year: Support journalism and hold tech companies (esp. Google & Facebook) accountable for the ad revenue they're siphoning away. www.oregonlive.com/politics/202...

India joins Russia and Israel: three right-wing nuclear-armed governments (all backed by Trump) are now involved in wars mostly of their own making. www.bbc.com/news/article...

I'm heartened to see Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha win a much-deserved Pulitzer. When he heard he won the award, he wrote: "Let it bring hope / Let it be a tale"

MEMBER EVENT THURSDAY: Join us for year's first #SciWriRoundtable on May 8 at 11:00 ET. Journalists from around the world will discuss their experiences working under constraints on press freedom. Register for the (free!) event: www.nasw.org/events/... Not a member? Visit nasw.org/join

The Trump administration's budget would drastically cut NASA's space science & climate science, and it would end the lunar space station, a program Trump himself started during his first term.

I'm glad to see this. We still need the National Climate Assessment, but at least timely US climate science will continue, despite the Trump administration's attempts to silence it.

On May Day 2006, people organized the biggest wave of immigrant rights protests in US history. Today's actions, also focused on workers rights, probably will be bigger. www.democracynow.org/2006/5/2/ove...

MEMBER EVENT: Join us for year's first #SciWriRoundtable on May 8 at 11:00 ET. Journalists from around the world will discuss their experiences working under constraints on press freedom. Register for the (free!) May 8 event: www.nasw.org/events/... Not a member? Visit nasw.org/join

I'm excited to join my science journalist friends and colleagues in Chicago in November for our #SciWri25 science writing conference! www.nasw.org/article/scie...