Socratic Siren
@socraticsiren.bsky.social
Compassionate atheist, erstwhile academic, relentless truth-seeker, tired tree-hugger. “The unexamined life is not worth living.”
Taylor & Francis is investigating an article in one of its journals after the editors published an editorial about academic freedom that contains multiple fake references and citation errors.
Editors of higher education journal coauthor editorial with fake references
Taylor & Francis is investigating an article in one of its journals after the editors published an editorial about academic freedom that contains multiple fake references and citation errors.&n…
retractionwatch.com
UCS experts dig through regulatory filings, transmission plans, and the arguments written by utilities, data center companies & power plant owners every day. What are we finding? Undisclosed deals for data centers and half-measures for consumers. Learn more in our analyst Mike Jacobs' blog:
Talk on Data Center Reform Is Cheap. Our Electricity Bills Are Not.
The list of folks who claim to care about protecting consumers from paying for costs caused by data centers is lengthy. Utilities. The time has come to call their bluffs.
blog.ucs.org
In recent weeks, Navy families and sailors have taken the unusual step of speaking out on behalf of the crew as conditions have become especially dire. Reports say that multiple sailors have attempted to jump into the sea. https://bit.ly/3SCAo0C
The USS “Lincoln” Is Part of a Long History of Naval Mistreatment
The ship has been out to sea for the longest stretch of time without a port call in modern history. Effects on physical and mental health are dire.
thenation.com
A few things are as true today as they were before the Supreme Court’s latest mail voting order: Under the Constitution, the president has no role in running elections. bit.ly/46sOeFT
Noise and Confusion from the Supreme Court
The high court’s latest doesn’t change mail voting rules.
brennancenter.org
Science journalists need to link the original published article. It’s a pain in the ass to have to search for it, @hannahdevlin.bsky.social, but here’s the link for you so you can update your article: doi.org/10.1002/alz....
Women using HRT at lower risk of dementia, study suggests
Scientists found those who had used hormone replacement therapy were 10% less likely to be diagnosed with dementia
theguardian.com
Almost a year after Trump’s domestic policy bill passed, at least 770,000 children are no longer receiving SNAP benefits. In Arizona, the number of children receiving SNAP has dropped by more than 200,000 since July 2025 — a 55% decline. (Published June)
More Than 770,000 Children Are No Longer Receiving SNAP Benefits After Trump Changes Federal Food Program
Republican backers of Trump’s signature domestic policy bill repeatedly claimed that revisions to the food benefits program wouldn’t affect the most vulnerable. But reports from a dozen states show ch...
propublica.org
"Those who believe in free, open, and responsive institutions must recognize how critically linked science is to democracy itself and defend its integrity with every tool at their disposal," writes John Palfrey in a new #ScienceEditorial. https://scim.ag/4i9awDH
Really, “dead dinosaurs?” @joeonhere.bsky.social Maybe “dinosaur“ is used as a figure of speech here, but you’re not helping when it comes to overturning myths about where fossil fuels actually come from. It ain’t dinosaurs. Not even vertebrates.
AI Data Centers Are Causing Unfathomable Amounts of Air Pollution, and It Gets Worse With Each New One They Build
Gas generators powering energy-hungry data centers are set to emit incomprehensible amounts of exhaust in the years to come.
futurism.com
“…the wealthiest 19 American households—not 19% […] just plain 19—increased their wealth by $1 trillion in 2024 [...]. Meanwhile, the share of the nation’s wealth held by the bottom 50% of American households declined from 3.4% to 2.6%…”
A K-Shaped Economy Requires K-Shaped Taxes - The American Prospect
Wealth tax skeptics either fail to notice the massive upward redistribution of wealth, income, and political power, benefit from it, or fear challenging it.
prospect.org
From Union of Concerned Scientists @ucs.org this morning: “it is deeply un-American to undermine the shared history, truth, and science that we collectively experience at national parks.”
We’re Suing the Trump Administration for Removing Science, History from Our National Parks
We cannot fully understand our country and climate without publicly accessible and accurate historical and scientific information.
blog.ucs.org
With over a million people behind bars, U.S. prisons are broken institutions that dehumanize everyone who enters. Our latest report highlights innovative correctional practices from across the country that can benefit people behind bars and prison staff. bit.ly/4bo97UR
Prison Reform in the United States
Innovative corrections practices can yield safer prisons and prepare people to successfully reenter society.
brennancenter.org
What I’m reading this am: “The U.S. tax system is opaque, intentionally intimidating. It’s built to allow people with lots and lots of resources to find every loophole possible, and that creates a sense that the government will always have a loophole to exploit against you...”
Why I'm Not Paying My Federal Taxes This Year
I would rather take the risk than knowingly fund our government's despicable actions.
currentaffairs.org
Finally some reality amidst the saccharine headlines from last night.
An Oscar Night of Sentimentality and Amnesia
At a time of profound unrest and the launch of an insane new war, Hollywood stuck to its “keep politics out” mandate.
jacobin.com
“In the Gospels, when Jesus calls himself meek, it is the same Greek word used for a meek horse: “praus.” A horse is not weaker on account of being meeked; no Greek warrior wanted a wimpy steed. The horse retains its strength, now safeguarded by self-control.”
Meekness isn’t weakness – once considered positive, it’s one of the ‘undersung virtues’ that deserve defense today
The word ‘meekness’ might seem old-fashioned – and not a positive trait. But understanding its original meaning can identify an important virtue.
theconversation.com
Since returning to office, Trump has added about $3 billion to his net worth. The scale of these profits, and the way he has monetized the White House to generate them, is unprecedented. Learn more in our latest Money in Politics Roundup: bit.ly/3MSYmBN
Money in Politics Roundup — February 2026
These stories on campaign finance and influence peddling are shaping the midterms.
brennancenter.org
What would you do if you knew it were ok to be wrong? “…our apparent national impasse points to a lack of “epistemic humility,” or intellectual humility – that is, an inability to acknowledge, empathize with and ultimately compromise with opinions and perspectives different from one’s own.“
What Socrates’ ‘know nothing’ wisdom can teach a polarized America
Athens was deeply polarized over big-picture questions, and Socrates was never hesitant to question both sides’ assumptions – or his own.
theconversation.com
TikTok investor Jeff Yass avoided paying $1 billion in taxes while largely escaping public scrutiny. He then poured that money into campaigns to cut taxes and support election deniers. (Published 2022)
Meet the Billionaire and Rising GOP Mega-Donor Who’s Gaming the Tax System
Susquehanna founder and TikTok investor Jeff Yass has avoided $1 billion in taxes while largely escaping public scrutiny. He’s now pouring his money into campaigns to cut taxes and support election de...
propublica.org
We need collective action, but w/o “strong membership organizations in our daily lives, and w/ social media exacerbating our isolation, political consumption has become fundamentally personal rather than collective.” Great piece by @ericblanc.bsky.social with 6 tips. Key: don’t do it alone.
Your Individual Boycotts Aren’t Helping
Boycotts against corporations can be powerful tools. But they have to be waged as part of larger collective struggles with real plans to win — not simply as acts for frustrated individuals to take on ...
jacobin.com
“Two-thirds of NYU’s contract faculty #union voted to authorize a #strike if administrators do not meet its demands for better compensation, job security and #childcare in the coming weeks.” #solidarity
Contract faculty union approves strike - Washington Square News
Two-thirds of NYU’s contract faculty union voted to authorize a strike if administrators do not meet its demands for better compensation, job security and childcare in the coming weeks. When the stri...
nyunews.com
A moving piece by Dr. Jess Steier of @unbiasedscipod.bsky.social. Thank you for capturing something that’s been on my mind re: scicomm more broadly: the unintended and counterproductive effects of scorn. Folks who care about scientific literacy should read this well-crafted essay:
The Grief We Won’t Allow
What we lost when we stopped mourning the unvaccinated
theunbiasedscipod.substack.com
Hard to contain my amusement in finishing this Pew article: “Email Newsletters as a Source of News“ detailing that Americans “don’t read most of the newsletters they get” only to be prompted to sign up for Pew’s newsletter. 😄 I’ll stick to my RSS feeds, thanks. www.pewresearch.org/journalism/2...
Landraces and wild species hold genetic diversity that could be key to developing new potato varieties, which are needed to help farmers adapt to climate change and other challenges. 🥔 Learn more on #NationalPotatoDay in this 2019 issue of Science: https://scim.ag/3HEQlxE
I’ve been enjoying the latest update to the iNaturalist app from @inaturalist.bsky.social. Here are a few of my favorite woodland natives (USDA zone 6, eastern US). #native #plants #trillium
The latest update to our free and fun Seek by iNaturalist app adds more than 60k species to its image recognition model! It will now also use your location to provide more accurate IDs! www.inaturalist.org/seek
“All of this makes up a powerful argument for rent control — laws that, like price gouging statutes, limit profits on a basic human need.”
Landlords Want Us to Think Rent Gouging Isn’t Price Gouging
We recognize extortionate prices for lifesaving medicine or bottled water after a natural disaster as price gouging. Landlords want us to believe that rent hikes forcing people into homelessness are j...
jacobin.com
