How the Tar Heel state shaped the history of modernist architecture—and how local preservationists help keep the dream alive today.

“Young people are quickly becoming so dependent on A.I. that they are losing the ability to think for themselves. And rather than rallying resistance, academic administrators are aiding and abetting a hostile takeover of higher education.”

Guess who’s turning 217 today? It’s Charles Darwin! 🥳 Born in 1809, he transformed the way we understand the natural world. He developed the theory of evolution by natural selection in his 1859 best-seller, ‘On the Origins of Species’. Send him your birthday wishes in the comments! 👇

Terrified Conservatives Lose Ability To Speak English After Exposure To Bad Bunny Performance https://theonion.com/terrified-conservatives-lose-ability-to-speak-english-after-exposure-to-bad-bunny-performance-dios-mio-cry-millions-of-panicking-republicans/

This thread describes a collection of Nature Reviews Biodiversity articles that outline challenges, propose solutions and summarise progress in meeting the Kunming- Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework targets.

The US government has lost more than 10,000 people with PhDs in the STEM or health fields since Trump 2.0 took office — 14% of the federal civil servants with PhDs in those areas, a @ScienceMagazine analysis shows. What could possibly go wrong? www.science.org/content/arti...

As Bill Foege (RIP) said: RFK Jr “would be less hazardous if he decided to do cardiac surgery. Then he’d kill people only one at a time rather than his current ability to kill by the thousands. Why is…killing a single person..seen as murder but killing masses is excused if you are a politician?”

"Only 12% of medical schools worldwide include air pollution in their formal curricula. Patients, such as young children with asthma, often visit doctors who may not ask about environmental triggers or provide advice on reducing exposures" ✍️ @klburke.bsky.social healthjournalism.org/blog/2026/01...

Lemurs play a key role in Madagascan ecosystems as seed dispersers, but they are threatened by climate change and human activities such as deforestation. Experts stress the importance of community conservation projects. Read more in The Conversation: https://ow.ly/B7Yu50XAvYM

This year, renewables surpassed coal as a source of electricity worldwide

“The benefits of spending time in nature are nearly endless.”

Spotify has laid off thousands in recent years, while reportedly paying artists $0.003 per stream. Spotify profits rose 28% in Q3. Its CEO is worth $9.8 billion. It's making money off ICE recruitment ads. Don't you think it's time put a wrap on corporate greed and exploitation?

That's about the duration of WW2. It took the EU that long instead of a month?

👀 If the NYC pension boards adopt the @nyccomptroller.bsky.social recommendations and move BlackRock's $42B mandate to other asset managers, it could be one of the most consequential climate-related actions ever taken by a pension fund in the US or anywhere in the world.

In our Climate Report my coauthors and I say: We are hurtling toward climate chaos. The planet's vital signs are flashing red. Consequences of human-driven alterations of the climate are no longer future threats but are here now. Read report here doi.org/10.1093/bios...

Immigration officers hauled away a construction worker in Cary NC. "A half mile up the road, they looked at his wallet and saw he was a citizen," said his supervisor. "They pulled him out of the van and threw his wallet out the window. He had to walk back here." #ncpol www.cbs17.com/news/local-n...

Two postdoctoral opportunities in evolutionary anthropology at Duke University! The Pontzer Lab is hiring for projects on human ecology, energetics, and aging & health. More info: www.hbes.com/two-postdoct...

More good news for coffee enthusiasts from my specialty! jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Despite what Bill Gates says, the new State of the Climate Report says “we are hurtling toward climate chaos”

While I believe that Bill Gates deserves high praise for his sustained commitment to protecting public health, I agree with @michaelemann.bsky.social that he is failing to understand that we must—and can—rapidly quit fossil fuels while addressing illness and poverty. @docsforclimate.bsky.social

Scientists found PFAS in fresh vegetables & fish, eggs & beer. Pine needles, honey & house dust. Landfills, compost and sewage sludge. 
Blood of horses. Blood of dogs. Their own blood. 
1st in a series re: NC's PFAS crisis under Trump @cleancapefear.bsky.social insideclimatenews.org/news/1210202...

If there’s one place on Earth you don’t want to be, it’s in the mouth of a Komodo dragon. Not convinced? No problem - you can see all of their deadly dental secrets in this week’s #SurprisingScience 🦎 ☠️

Zero traffic deaths is achievable, with political will

Great news for the long struggling USFWS red wolf restoration program in North Carolina

The New York Times recently covered work by The Nature Conservancy in their 50 States, 50 Fixes series! This edition focuses on restoring peat bogs in North Carolina.

Congratulations Fidy! A well deserved recognition of your path breaking work in Madagascar!

Among all the big bad things happening on our planet, there's one Big Good Thing, the sudden, startling rise of solar energy. It changes the power dynamic, in every sense of the word 'power.' www.newyorker.com/news/annals-...

A very insightful take on the U.S. drug pricing problem and how best to solve it by Rob Califf

"I want readers to learn that Native nations have been here for millennia. They have been complicated and powerful, and changing over time. And maybe even more importantly, I want readers to know that Native nations are still here today."

Wild how the Fed chair saying that *entire regions of the United States* won’t be able to get a mortgage in the next decade barely registered as a news event

GSMNP - Truly one of the nation’s best biodiversity reserves. www.chicagotribune.com/2025/06/15/t...

The collapse of insect populations in protected areas

I’m one of 20 assistant professors in A&S at UNC who has had their tenure decision deferred. I was planning to spend my summer editing my third book. Now? 🤷🏻‍♀️ www.wral.com/video/unc-fa...

Every time I see a case of severe malaria requiring IV artesunate I am reminded of how completely bonkers drug pricing in the US is. A treatment course anywhere else in the world is <100$ in the US it's $30,000. Pls take malaria prophylaxis if indicated for travel.🙏🏽 www.statnews.com/2021/06/11/u...

Oil and Gas Companies Are Trying to Rig the Marketplace

one thing I respect about medieval beekeepers is their total commitment to looking like Doctor Who villains

Top FDA aide Tracy Beth Hoeg was reportedly involved with the delay in approving Novavax’s Covid-19 vaccine. Former FDA head @robcaliff.bsky.social says allowing political appointees to weigh in on approvals could be opening Pandora’s box: #STATSummit

Are you an African scholar pursuing a career in economics? Apply to be a CSAE Visiting Fellow in 2026 online today. #EconSky @oxfordecondept.bsky.social @blavatnikschool.bsky.social @odid-qeh.bsky.social @oxmartinschool.bsky.social ⏰31 May 2025. www.csae.ox.ac.uk/visiting-fel...

Uganda stopped a Sudan Ebola virus outbreak in under 3 months. No chaos. Just fast action, local leadership, and a rapidly implemented vaccine trial. Maybe the problem isn’t capacity in Africa after all—maybe it’s the story we keep telling about it. open.substack.com/pub/bktitanj...

In addition to humanitarian and health work, USAID supported "projects that protected elephants in Tanzania, great apes and national parks in central Africa, giant fishes and watersheds of the Mekong River basin in Southeast Asia, and rainforests in the Amazon." e360.yale.edu/features/usa...

U.S. citizen interested in grad studies at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver (Canada)? Grad programs are re-opening applications of US programs for one week. With expedited decisions. U.S. Applicant Week: www.grad.ubc.ca/us-applicant... #AcademicChatter #Canada #GradSchool

I've been on the road (and much to come) visiting campuses and giving talks about all the pain. I've been to places where the presidents have been forthcoming with the campus and not. Here's my shot at how to talk to campuses based on what I've learned. open.substack.com/pub/holdenth...

Great opportunity to work on climate, migration and forest relationships in Madagascar.

Soothing jazz from Madagascar - Gasy Jazz Project

Excited to have an op-ed in the @nytimes.com today about rising rates of autism diagnosis, how that fits my own experiences, and why it's a bad idea to relitigate the vaccine debate. #actuallyautistic @ericmgarcia.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/03/20/o...

Climate change is impacting food security and health of smallholder farmers worldwide. In a new paper in @plosclimate.org led by @tylerbarrett.bsky.social, we report on climate change perceptions and adaptive behavior among farmers in NE Madagascar.

A group of Nepali women have developed an approach to keep both snow leopards and livestock alive www.bbc.com/future/artic...

In a commentary in Nature Reviews Biodiversity led by Sarobidy Rakotonarivo, we find little evidence that conservation programs bring positive benefits to local communities near protected areas in developing countries. We argue for a cultural shift to achieve resilient, socially just conservation.

Your moment of zen From his astounding 1965 debut on Blue Note The story behind the recording is a wild, wild ride (jazztimes.com/features/col...) youtu.be/KFFs9XsZKvw?...