Olivia Ferrari
@oliviaferrari.bsky.social
Journalist writing about science, animals, climate, and environmental justice. New York pigeon enthusiast. https://www.olivia-ferrari.com/
Researchers weren't looking for smallpox when they examined 500-year-old Inca mummies, but that's what they found. By @oliviaferrari.bsky.social 🧪🦠
500-year-old Inca mummies prove that European colonists brought devastating smallpox to the Americas
Ancient DNA from Chilean mummies is the first ever molecular evidence that European colonizers brought smallpox to the Americas, decimating Indigenous populations.
livescience.com
A new Indigenous-led data platform is set to transform how businesses engage with First Nations in Canada. By verifying territory maps and governance data, founder Robert Jago aims to reduce conflicts over extractive projects through transparency and information. @oliviaferrari.bsky.social reports.
New data platform aims to reduce conflicts between First Nations and businesses in Canada
When Robert Jago’s brother-in-law, a local politician in Montreal, Canada, shared a photo on Facebook greeting Indigenous leaders, Jago said he immediately knew the leaders as frauds. “They were kind…
mongabay.cc
'Part of the evolutionary fabric of our societies': Same-sex sexual behavior in primates may be a survival strategy, study finds www.livescience.com/animals/land...
'Part of the evolutionary fabric of our societies': Same-sex sexual behavior in primates may be a survival strategy, study finds
A new study comparing 59 species of primates linked same-sex sexual behavior to scarce resources and more predators in socially complex species. The findings show diverse sexual behaviors are common — and likely beneficial in primates.
livescience.com
#Ghost #gear is one of the most dangerous types of #ocean #pollution. @oliviaferrari.bsky.social reports that organizations, #fishers, #scientists, & #policymakers globally are focusing on preventing the pollution at source & mitigating its impact via cleanups www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...
We’re proud to be working with this talented group of journalists. Please join us in welcoming them all to the TON community! www.theopennotebook.com/2025/09/12/w...
Welcome to Our Newest Sharon Dunwoody Science Journalism Mentoring Program Cohort - The Open Notebook
Welcome to the September 2025 Sharon Dunwoody Science Journalism Mentoring Program cohort! This program brings together 16 early-career science journalists for a three-month peer-mentoring experience.
theopennotebook.com
How do animals react to our noise? Sometimes in quirky ways, but often in ways that indicate they're stressed. @oliviaferrari.bsky.social reports on some notable responses. www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...
Five Dramatic Ways Animals Respond to Human Noise, From Mimicking Car Alarms While Wooing Mates to Calling Higher Over the Din of Traffic
As human-caused sound gets louder around the world, some animals change their behavior and many creatures suffer health issues
smithsonianmag.com
One of my favorite articles I've worked on—as a drummer aspiring to be as good as these chimps one day! @vestaeleuteri.bsky.social @nakedprimate.bsky.social and their team find chimpanzees drum rhythmically to communicate
Do chimpanzees have rhythm? Listen to their drumming.
New research on the rhythmic drumming and complex calls of chimpanzees could point scientists to the origins of language.
nationalgeographic.com
Amazing work by Melissa Ilardo & colleagues among Haenyo, female divers in Korea. These women dive up to 32ft deep w/o aid of oxygen to get shellfish. More impressively, they do this while pregnant & continue often up to the day of labor & delivery. www.nationalgeographic.com/health/artic...
These Korean women divers have evolved traits to survive in frigid water
From high-altitude climbers to divers who can fish without scuba gear, scientists are finding new ways that human bodies may be genetically adapting to environmental extremes.
nationalgeographic.com
NEW: a new study just found that nearly every kid born today could face "unprecedented lifetime exposure" to heat waves and other climate extremes. but limiting global heating to 1.5°C would spare hundreds of millions from that fate @oliviaferrari.bsky.social for @atmosmag.bsky.social 🌎🧪
New Study Estimates How Many Climate Extremes Your Kids Will Face | Atmos
Limiting heating to 1.5 degrees Celsius could spare 613 million of today's youth from
atmos.earth
Although many large predators are declining worldwide, European gray wolves have increased roughly 60 percent in the last decade. @oliviaferrari.bsky.social reports on what caused the uptick and what's next for the creatures. www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...
Why Have European Wolves Recovered So Much in the Past Decade?
The predators have increased by almost 60 percent on the continent
smithsonianmag.com
When a natural disaster strikes, renters are screwed. In addition to damaged infrastructure, flooding, and trauma following a severe storm, tenants can face the looming threat of unaffordable rent—and even eviction. Written by Olivia Ferrari hakaimagazine.com/news/for-ren...
Some people might wear their hearts on their sleeves, but cuttlefish seem to wear their thoughts right on their skin. ❤️ By Olivia Ferrari. hakaimagazine.com/news/cuttlef...
Cuttlefish and Their Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoats | Hakai Magazine
Cuttlefish change colors to hide, hunt, and communicate—and, these scientists think, when they dream.
hakaimagazine.com
It is great to see dance being highlighted for its brain benefits in Discover magazine this month. Also delightful to see our research featured alongside that of superb collaborators. #dance #neuroscience
