#scicomm #california #birds

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In the early 1960s the Owens pupfish, a tiny fish native to California’s Owens Valley, was nearly extinct. When biologist Phil Pister discovered the last surviving population, he moved a handful to a protected spring, giving the species a second chance. californiacurated.substack.com/p/the-man-wh...

In 2025, U.S. News & World Report ranked Berkeley and UCLA as the top two public universities in the nation, with all nine UC campuses landing in the top 45. Home to a concentration of world-class universities unmatched by any other state. www.usnews.com/best-college...

About 20,000 years ago, four Channel Islands were actually one giant island called Santarosae—home to pygmy mammoths and some of the earliest humans in North America—before rising seas broke it apart and drowned most of it beneath the Pacific. californiacurated.substack.com/p/the-lost-i... 🧪

There aren’t many hopeful conservation stories when it comes to the ocean, but the resurgence of the giant Seabass in California is one. open.substack.com/pub/californ... 🌊

I wrote about one of the great ocean exploration institutions in California, if not the world: californiacurated.com/2026/03/06/m... 🌊

At least now we have laws preventing such destruction. Yes, of COURSE we do. 🙄😢

Daylight Migration Site #BearDivide, #SanGabrielMountains

Birders in Lancaster saw a painted bunting, very unusual for California. lancasteronline.com/news/local/h...

Blue whales back in the news after several rare sightings in New England. It’s a good excuse to revisit the famous claim that blue whales reach 100 feet or more. There has never been a scientifically verified measurement of a blue whale over 100 feet. californiacurated.substack.com/p/not-so-big... 🌊

California has been at the center of several scientific revolutions: biology, computers, AI...but this one is particularly fascinating: californiacurated.substack.com/p/the-plate-... 🧪

I did a deep dive (pun intended) on one of California's amazing ocean research institutions: the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, also known as MBARI: californiacurated.substack.com/p/mbari-and-... 🌊

I did a deep dive (pun intended) on one of California's amazing ocean research institutions: the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, also known as MBARI: californiacurated.substack.com/p/mbari-and-... 🌊

Bear Divide, newly discovered in the San Gabriel Mountains, is one of the only places in the western United States where you can see thousands of birds migrating during daylight hours. californiacurated.substack.com/p/feathers-o...

One of California’s greatest environmental tragedies is barely remembered. The clearcutting of Converse Basin erased thousands of giant sequoias and reshaped the conservation movement that followed. californiacurated.substack.com/p/giants-fal...

Yes!

California is approaching a major coastal decision. As offshore oil platforms age, the state is weighing whether to remove them entirely or allow the thriving ecosystems below to remain. The outcome could shape how we define “natural” along the coast. californiacurated.substack.com/p/a-turning-...

There are strange etchings, probably thousands of years old, in the California desert. Why have so few Californians ever even heard of them? open.substack.com/pub/californ...

Had a great conversation with Paul Thornton, Co-founder of Golden State Report. We discussed a lot, but mostly California's remarkable nature and landscapes. substack.com/home/post/p-...

My latest piece explores the idea behind California Curated and celebrates the state’s staggering richness, even as critics continue to dismiss and misunderstand what makes California so extraordinary. californiacurated.substack.com/p/curiosity-...

My latest piece explores the idea behind California Curated and celebrates the state’s staggering richness, even as critics continue to dismiss and misunderstand what makes California so extraordinary. californiacurated.substack.com/p/curiosity-...

Had a great conversation with Paul Thornton, Co-founder of Golden State Report. We discussed a lot, but mostly California's remarkable nature and landscapes. substack.com/home/post/p-...

One of the more hopeful and promising conservation stories of our time: californiacurated.com/2024/12/13/t...

Curiosity is the point. Not the answer, not the destination. Just the constant pull to look closer, ask questions, and notice what others pass by. The more you follow it, the more California reveals. californiacurated.substack.com/p/curiosity-...

Birders alert: we’re coming upon the ideal time to visit Bear Divide in the San Gabriel Mountains, when thousands of colorful migrating birds dive bomb through a narrow saddle that is part of the Pacific Flyway. Here’s the story: californiacurated.substack.com/p/feathers-o...

Great post!

Some of the most ancient and bizarre plants in the world thrive at Descanso Gardens in Southern California. www.instagram.com/reel/DUuD9Sx...

At Caltech, Clair Patterson determined the age of the Earth using precise measurements of lead isotopes. He also exposed the global danger of lead pollution, helping drive the removal of lead from gasoline and dramatically improving public health. californiacurated.substack.com/p/clair-patt...

Some of the most ancient and bizarre plants in the world thrive at Descanso Gardens in Southern California. www.instagram.com/reel/DUuD9Sx...

Few people realize how amazing the Central Valley of California really is. open.substack.com/pub/californ...

Without the innovation of extreme ultraviolet light (EUV) to make very high density chips, we would not have AI. And we would not have either without publicly funded California labs. californiacurated.com/2025/09/26/t...

Few people realize how amazing the Central Valley of California really is. open.substack.com/pub/californ...

Our latest for all Californians: California’s Central Valley looks flat and ordinary at first glance. But beneath those endless fields is a story of ancient seas, tectonic forces, engineered rivers, and one of the most productive agricultural regions on Earth. open.substack.com/pub/californ...

I wrote a while back that California is a Nobel powerhouse. But we are also an Olympics powerhouse, with over 20 athletes competing in the Winter Olympics 2026. Alysa Liu, a 20-year-old UCLA student, won gold on Sunday as part of the figure skating team event. www.sacbee.com/sports/artic...

I’ve always loved the raised-relief maps made by Hubbard Scientific. I still keep the California one on my wall because it so clearly reveals the state’s extraordinary geological diversity. They are so much better in their own way than online maps, IMO. amzn.to/4qxo3Wv

A critically endangered Galápagos waved albatross stunned scientists by appearing off California’s coast, nearly 3,000 miles from its normal range. Rare sightings like this could signal changing environmental patterns. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/01/u...

We did a quick rundown on where things stand with California's high-speed rail. It's not ALL bad news. Well, sort of. www.instagram.com/reel/DUjLU2m...

Many visitors in San Francisco for the Super Bowl said they were surprised to find that the city often portrayed in national political media as an example of urban decline is, in reality, vibrant, scenic, and far more appealing than expected. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/06/u... #california

Climate change, habitat fragmentation, and expanding development are squeezing California’s mountain lions into smaller areas and pushing them into closer contact with people, forcing wildlife managers to balance conservation with rising human-safety conflicts. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/c...

Glimmers of hope in California's water situation. www.instagram.com/p/DUZCLvjGFI1/

Each day around the world, trillions of animals rise and fall through the water. It’s called the Diel Vertical Migration (DVM) and California’s highly productive waters make it one of the best places on Earth to study this vast, invisible migration. californiacurated.substack.com/p/california...

Every day around the world, trillions of animals rise and fall through the water column—and California’s highly productive waters make it one of the best places on Earth to study this vast, invisible migration. californiacurated.substack.com/p/california...

Every day around the world, trillions of animals rise and fall through the water column—and California’s highly productive waters make it one of the best places on Earth to study this vast, invisible migration. californiacurated.substack.com/p/california... 🌊

DIY SOLAR! More and more Californians are quietly installing plug-in solar systems at their homes without their utility’s permission, taking advantage of portable “balcony” or plug-and-play panels that can just be plugged into a standard outlet. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

There's a Frank Lloyd Wright house in the mountains of LA that you've never heard of. www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8mLr1Fn/

A powerful new microscope developed by @scrippsocean.bsky.social can film corals underwater, perhaps opening up ways to help them adapt to climate change: californiacurated.com/2025/10/03/a...

Behind the scenes at the famous Huntington bonsai garden: youtu.be/wCx8qvtOuSM

There's a Frank Lloyd Wright house in the mountains of LA that you've never heard of. www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8mLr1Fn/